Purnima January 2026 Date

Purnima

Purnima is the 15th tithi of the bright fortnight, when the moon is said to shine in all sixteen kalas (phases). It is the classic day for the Satyanarayana Vrat, paired in the south with Pournami Vratam — a sunrise-to-moonrise fast broken only after sighting the moon.

About Purnima

The day's signature rite is the Satyanarayana Katha — a five-chapter story of Lord Vishnu as Satyanarayana that fasting families gather to hear, ending with panchamrita (a mix of milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar) as prasad. Different Purnimas carry their own vrat-kathas: Battisi Purnima recites the Bhavishya Purana tale of the Brahmin Dharmadatta of Vidisha, while Sharad Purnima recalls the two sisters whose children's fate hinged on the fast. Purnima is also a Shraddha day — Tarpan for ancestors is offered at the Kutup, Rohina and Aparahna muhurtas. The fasting day itself can shift: if Chaturdashi runs past midday (Madhyahna) on the previous day, it is said to pollute Purnima, and the vrat is moved a day earlier.

Purnima Dates in January 2026

• 3 Jan 2026Saturday