December 2026 runs from Bichha (Margashira) 16 to Dhanu (Pausha) 16 in the Odia calendar. Its big days are Prathamastami (1 December). Below is every important date of the month, with its rituals.
- Odia months
- Margashira and Pausha
- Sankranti
- Dhanu Sankranti, 16 December
- Purnima
- 24 December
- Amavasya
- 8 December
December 2026Margashira 16 – Pausha 16
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Margashira 16AshtamiFestival: Prathamastami | 2Margashira 17Navami | 3Margashira 18DashamiFestival: Manabasa Gurubara | 4Margashira 19EkadashiEkadashi: Utpanna Ekadashi | 5Margashira 20Dwadashi | ||
| 6Margashira 21Trayodashi | 7Margashira 22ChaturdashiFestival: Deba Dipabali begins at Puri | 8Margashira 23AmavasyaAmavasya: Amavasya | 9Margashira 24Amavasya | 10Margashira 25Pratipada | 11Margashira 26Tritiya | 12Margashira 27Tritiya |
| 13Margashira 28Chaturthi | 14Margashira 29Panchami | 15Margashira 30ShashthiFestival: Odhana Sasthi | 16Pausha 1SaptamiFestival, Sankranti: Dhanu Sankranti; Pahili Bhoga | 17Pausha 2Ashtami | 18Pausha 3Navami | 19Pausha 4Dashami |
| 20Pausha 5EkadashiEkadashi: Mokshada Ekadashi | 21Pausha 6Dwadashi | 22Pausha 7TrayodashiFestival: Gita Jayanti | 23Pausha 8Chaturdashi | 24Pausha 9PurnimaPurnima: Margashira Purnima | 25Pausha 10DwitiyaFestival: Christmas (Bada Dina) | 26Pausha 11Tritiya |
| 27Pausha 12Chaturthi | 28Pausha 13Panchami | 29Pausha 14Shashthi | 30Pausha 15Saptami | 31Pausha 16AshtamiFestival: Pathani Samanta Jayanti | ||
Important dates in December 2026
| Date | Festival or observance |
|---|---|
| 1 DecemberTuesday | Prathamastami |
| 3 DecemberThursday | Manabasa Gurubara |
| 4 DecemberFriday | Utpanna Ekadashi |
| 7 DecemberMonday | Deba Dipabali begins at Puri |
| 8 DecemberTuesday | Amavasya |
| 15 DecemberTuesday | Odhana Sasthi |
| 16 DecemberWednesday | Dhanu Sankranti; Pahili Bhoga |
| 20 DecemberSunday | Mokshada Ekadashi |
| 22 DecemberTuesday | Gita Jayanti |
| 24 DecemberThursday | Margashira Purnima |
| 25 DecemberFriday | Christmas (Bada Dina) |
| 31 DecemberThursday | Pathani Samanta Jayanti |
Rituals, date by date
1 December: Prathamastami
The eldest child of the family is honoured: the mother or an aunt waves a lamp before them (aarati), they get new clothes, and the family makes enduri pitha, steamed in turmeric leaves.
Why it matters: Prayers for the eldest child's long life and success.
3 December: Manabasa Gurubara
The Thursday worship of Lakshmi continues: jhoti patterns, a measure of new paddy, and the Lakshmi Purana.
4 December: Utpanna Ekadashi
Families fast from rice and other grains, worship Vishnu, and break the fast after sunrise the next day.
7 December: Deba Dipabali begins at Puri
Lamps are lit at the Jagannath temple for three nights, until 9 December, for the ancestors of the deities: Jagannath's own Diwali.
8 December: Amavasya
A day for offerings of water and sesame to the ancestors (tarpana); many families avoid starting new work.
15 December: Odhana Sasthi
The deities at Puri are given their winter wraps (odhana), which they wear until spring.
16 December: Dhanu Sankranti; Pahili Bhoga
Families offer dhanu muan, a sweet of rice, jaggery and coconut. Through Dhanu month, Jagannath receives an early-morning offering (Pahili Bhoga). The Sun enters a new sign and a new Odia month begins; families bathe at dawn and pray to the Sun.
20 December: Mokshada Ekadashi
Kept for the liberation of the ancestors. Families fast from rice and other grains, worship Vishnu, and break the fast after sunrise the next day.
22 December: Gita Jayanti
Temples and homes recite the Bhagavad Gita, on the day Krishna is said to have spoken it to Arjuna.
24 December: Margashira Purnima
Families bathe at dawn, and many hold a Satyanarayana puja in the evening.
25 December: Christmas (Bada Dina)
Christians attend midnight Mass and church services; homes and churches are lit with stars and cribs, and cake is shared with neighbours.
31 December: Pathani Samanta Jayanti
Schools and science groups remember Samanta Chandrasekhar, called Pathani Samanta, the Odia astronomer whose calculations, made with bamboo instruments, still guide Odia panjikas.
Koraput in December
December nights are among the coldest of the year, down to 3 °C, so bring warm clothes for everyone. Deomali is at its clearest, and Christmas and New Year weeks fill up early: write to us as soon as your dates are fixed.
November 2026 · How the Odia calendar works, and every month
Dates from the Kohinoor Press Sankhyepa Panjika 2026, Cuttack.
