The wear calendar
99 festivals, weddings seasons and craft days of the year, with what is worn on each. Dates are worked out afresh every day; those marked "about" follow the moon or local calendars and can shift by a day.
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October 2026
10 to 18 Oct 2026BathukammaTelangana's flower festival: women stack seasonal blooms into a cone, sing around it, and dress in new sarees.
11 to 19 Oct 2026NavratriNine nights of the goddess, with Garba and Dandiya in Gujarat and a chosen colour for each day in many homes.
11 to 19 Oct 2026Navaratri GoluIn Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, homes set out tiered displays of dolls and women visit each other in silk sarees.
11 to 20 Oct 2026Mysuru DasaraThe ten-day state festival of Karnataka, ending in a palace procession, with Mysore silk the saree of the season.
about 11 to 25 Oct 2026Dashain in NepalNepal's great festival, with new clothes for all, a red tika from the elders and the saree in red and bright colours.
about 17 to 20 Oct 2026Durga Puja (Saptami to Dashami)Bengal dresses anew for the four great days of Durga Puja, with tant, Dhakai, garad and Banarasi sarees going from pandal to pandal.
20 Oct 2026Dussehra (Vijayadashami)The tenth day after Navratri, kept as the victory of good over evil, with new clothes and silk sarees for the day.
about 20 Oct 2026Sindoor KhelaOn Bijoya Dashami, married Bengali women in white sarees with red borders smear sindoor on the goddess and on each other.
about 25 Oct 2026Kojagari Lakshmi PujaOn the full moon night after Durga Puja, Bengali homes paint rice-paste footprints for Lakshmi and the women of the house wear a clean or new saree.
29 Oct 2026Karva ChauthMarried women in north India fast from sunrise to moonrise in bridal reds, with henna and jewellery.November 2026
1 Nov 2026Karnataka RajyotsavaKarnataka's state formation day on 1 November, when people wear the yellow and red of the Kannada flag.
1 Nov 2026Kerala PiraviKerala's state formation day on 1 November, with the cream and gold kasavu worn in schools, offices and homes.
2 Nov 2026Aapravasi Day, MauritiusOn 2 November Mauritius remembers the first indentured Indian workers of 1834 at the Aapravasi Ghat, with sarees and ceremonies.
6 Nov 2026DhanterasThe first day of Diwali, when it is auspicious to buy gold, silver and new things, including a festive saree.
about 6 to 10 Nov 2026Tihar in NepalThe Nepali festival of lights, with lamps for Lakshmi, offerings to crows, dogs and cows, and the tika between brothers and sisters.
8 Nov 2026DiwaliThe festival of lights: new clothes, lamps and Lakshmi puja, with silk and zari sarees bought for the season.
about 8 Nov 2026Kali Puja (Dipannita)Bengal worships Kali on the new moon night of Diwali, with lamps, hibiscus flowers and a festive new saree.
about 8 Nov 2026Deepavali in Singapore and MalaysiaA public holiday in Singapore and Malaysia, kept in new sarees and punjabi suits, with lights along Serangoon Road.
about 8 Nov 2026Diwali in LeicesterLeicester holds one of the largest Diwali celebrations outside India, and the sari shops of Belgrave Road are at their busiest.
about 10 Nov 2026Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas)The first day of the Vikram Samvat year for Gujaratis, kept the day after Diwali, with new clothes and bandhani or Patan patola.
11 Nov 2026Bhai DoojSisters mark their brothers' foreheads with tilak and pray for them, and wear new clothes for the visit.
about 11 Nov 2026Bhai PhontaBengali sisters mark their brothers with a phonta of sandal paste, and the brothers give gifts, often a saree.
about 13 to 16 Nov 2026Chhath PujaWomen of Bihar and Jharkhand keep the Chhath fast at the river in clean new sarees, with sindoor applied long along the parting.
about 13 to 15 Nov 2026Wangala (Hundred Drums Festival)The Garo post harvest festival, danced to a hundred drums, with women in the wrapped dakmanda and feather headdress.
about 15 Nov to 28 Feb 2027Winter, the silk and wedding seasonFrom mid November to the end of February, cool weather suits silk, brocade, wool shawls and the main run of weddings.
about 17 Nov to 16 Dec 2026Agrahayan, a Bengali wedding monthAgrahayan, from mid November to mid December, is one of the favoured months for Bengali weddings, with the red bridal saree and the yellow of gaye holud.
about 20 Nov 2026Dev Uthani Ekadashi, the start of the wedding seasonOn Dev Uthani Ekadashi Vishnu wakes, the months without weddings end, and the trousseau season of north India begins.
about 23 Nov 2026Karthigai DeepamThe festival of lamps of Tamil Nadu, kept when the star Krittika meets the full moon, with rows of clay lamps at every door.
about 24 Nov 2026Tazaungdaing, the festival of lights and weavingOn the full moon of Tazaungmone Myanmar lights lanterns, and teams of women weave monastic robes in a single night.December 2026
1 to 10 Dec 2026Hornbill FestivalNagaland's tribes meet in Kohima for ten days of dance and song, each in its own shawl, skirt and beads.
about 15 Dec to 14 Jan 2027Margazhi and the Chennai music seasonThe Tamil month from mid December to mid January, when Chennai holds its Carnatic music and dance season and silk sarees fill the halls.
about 16 Dec to 14 Jan 2027Kharmas, the month without weddingsFrom mid December to mid January, when the sun is in Sagittarius, many Hindu families hold no weddings, and saree shops turn to winter and trousseau stock.
16 Dec 2026Victory Day of BangladeshOn 16 December Bangladesh keeps its Victory Day, with sarees, flags and scarves in red and green.
17 Dec 2026National Day of BhutanOn 17 December Bhutanese women wear the kira, a wrapped dress pinned at the shoulders, with a rachu scarf and a jacket.
about 23 to 25 Dec 2026Poush Mela, SantiniketanA winter fair at Santiniketan where Bengal sells kantha sarees, batik and block prints beside Baul songs.
25 Dec 2026Christmas in Kerala and GoaChurch-going women in Kerala and Goa wear sarees and traditional dress, with the kasavu and the chatta and mundu in Kerala.January 2027
13 Jan 2027LohriThe midwinter bonfire night of Punjab, with phulkari dupattas, bright suits and sometimes sarees.
14 to 17 Jan 2027PongalThe four-day harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, with a pot of new rice boiled over, a kolam at the door and new sarees.
about 14 to 15 Jan 2027Makar SankrantiThe January sun festival, when Maharashtrian women wear black sarees and swap sesame sweets, and kites fill Gujarat's sky.
14 to 15 Jan 2027Bhogali (Magh) BihuThe Assamese harvest feast of mid January, with a bonfire, a community meal and mekhela chador in the cold.
about 22 Jan 2027Thaipusam in MalaysiaAt Batu Caves devotees in yellow and saffron carry milk pots and kavadi to Murugan, and women wear yellow or orange sarees.
26 Jan 2027Republic DayIndia's 26 January national day, with tricolour sarees in saffron, white and green and tableaux of the states.February 2027
about 1 to 15 Feb 2027Surajkund International Crafts MelaThe February crafts fair at Surajkund, near Delhi, where weavers and block printers from across the states set up stalls.
11 Feb 2027Vasant PanchamiThe festival of spring and of the goddess Saraswati, kept in yellow sarees and yellow clothes.
about 11 Feb 2027Saraswati Puja in BengalYellow and white sarees fill Bengal on Saraswati Puja, and many schoolgirls wear a saree for the first time.
13 Feb 2027Pohela FalgunThe first day of spring in Bangladesh, kept in yellow and orange sarees with garlands of marigold.
21 Feb 2027Ekushey FebruaryLanguage Martyrs' Day in Bangladesh, kept at dawn barefoot in black, or in white with a black border.March 2027
about 5 Mar 2027Chapchar KutMizoram's spring festival, with the bamboo dance and women in the striped puan, the wrapped cloth of the Mizo.
about 9 Mar 2027Eid ul-Fitr in IndiaThe festival ending Ramadan, with new clothes: chikankari from Lucknow, zari and Hyderabad silks, and festive sarees.
about 9 Mar 2027Eid ul-Fitr in BangladeshAfter Ramadan Bangladesh buys new sarees, jamdani and Tangail cotton, applies henna on Chand Raat and dresses up for Eid.
about 15 Mar to 31 May 2027Summer, the cotton seasonFrom mid March to the end of May, light cotton, mulmul, linen and Chanderi are what women reach for.
22 Mar 2027HoliThe spring festival of colours, when people dress in white or old clothes and put on something fresh in the evening.
about 22 Mar 2027Dol Jatra and Basanta UtsavBengal plays Holi as Dol Jatra, and at Santiniketan students in yellow basanti sarees dance in the spring festival begun by Tagore.
about 22 to 26 Mar 2027YaoshangManipur's five day spring festival, with the Thabal Chongba dance, and women in phanek and a light shawl.
about 9 Mar 2027Eid ul-Fitr in IndiaThe festival ending Ramadan, with new clothes: chikankari from Lucknow, zari and Hyderabad silks, and festive sarees.
about 9 Mar 2027Eid ul-Fitr in BangladeshAfter Ramadan Bangladesh buys new sarees, jamdani and Tangail cotton, applies henna on Chand Raat and dresses up for Eid.
about 15 Mar to 31 May 2027Summer, the cotton seasonFrom mid March to the end of May, light cotton, mulmul, linen and Chanderi are what women reach for.
22 Mar 2027HoliThe spring festival of colours, when people dress in white or old clothes and put on something fresh in the evening.
about 22 Mar 2027Dol Jatra and Basanta UtsavBengal plays Holi as Dol Jatra, and at Santiniketan students in yellow basanti sarees dance in the spring festival begun by Tagore.
about 22 to 26 Mar 2027YaoshangManipur's five day spring festival, with the Thabal Chongba dance, and women in phanek and a light shawl.April 2027
7 Apr 2027UgadiThe new year of Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka, with ugadi pachadi of six tastes and new silk or handloom sarees.
7 Apr 2027Gudi PadwaThe Marathi new year, with a gudi of silk cloth raised at the door and women in nauvari or Paithani.
9 Apr 2027GangaurRajasthan's spring festival of Gauri, with processions of women in bandhani, leheriya and bright lehengas.
about 9 Apr 2027SarhulThe spring festival of Jharkhand's Oraon, Munda and Ho peoples, kept in a white saree with a red border and sal flowers.
about 9 to 11 Apr 2027Shad Suk MynsiemThe Khasi thanksgiving dance of Shillong, in which women wear silk jainsem, gold and silver ornaments and crowns.
about 13 to 14 Apr 2027Sinhala and Tamil New Year (Avurudu)Sri Lanka marks the new year in April at auspicious hours set by the almanac, in new clothes, often an osariya or saree.
about 13 to 16 Apr 2027Thingyan, the Burmese water festivalThe Burmese new year is a water festival, with women in a htamein and floral accessories dancing on the street stages.
about 14 Apr 2027Puthandu (Tamil New Year)The Tamil new year in mid April, with a kolam at the door, temple visits and new silk or cotton sarees.
about 14 Apr 2027Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)The spring harvest and Sikh new year, marking the founding of the Khalsa, with bright suits, turbans and phulkari.
about 14 Apr 2027Odia New Year (Pana Sankranti)The Odia new year is met with a cooling pana drink, a temple visit and new cotton or silk sarees of Odisha.
14 to 20 Apr 2027Bohag (Rongali) BihuThe Assamese new year, danced in a muga or pat mekhela chador in red and white, with a gamosa given to elders.
14 Apr 2027Pohela Boishakh in BangladeshBangladesh welcomes its new year in red and white sarees, with flowers in the hair and a dawn song at Ramna.
about 14 to 16 Apr 2027Khmer New YearCambodia's new year in mid April, with temple visits, water and powder play and silk sampot wrapped skirts.
about 15 Apr 2027VishuThe Malayali new year, opening with the sight of the vishukkani and a gift of new clothes in kasavu or colour.
15 Apr 2027Poila Boishakh in West BengalThe Bengali new year is kept in a white saree with a red border, a visit to the temple and a new account book for the shop.
21 Apr 2027Kartini DayOn 21 April Indonesia remembers Kartini, with schoolgirls and women in kebaya and a batik kain panjang.May 2027
5 May 2027Arrival Day, GuyanaOn 5 May Guyana remembers the first Indian indentured workers of 1838, with sarees, music and food.
9 May 2027Akshaya TritiyaA day held to bring lasting good luck, when families buy gold and begin new ventures, and often a new silk saree.
14 May 2027Girmit Day, FijiOn 14 May Indo-Fijians remember the arrival of the Leonidas in 1879 with prayers, songs and Indian dress.
about 20 May 2027Vesak in Sri LankaSri Lanka lights lanterns for the Buddha and goes to temples in white, women in a white saree or osariya.
30 May 2027Indian Arrival Day, Trinidad and TobagoOn 30 May Trinidad remembers the first Indian indentured workers of 1845, with cultural events where women wear sarees and odhni.June 2027
about 14 to 16 Jun 2027Raja ParbaOdisha keeps three days of rest for Mother Earth before the monsoon, with swings, pithas and new sarees for girls and women.
about 15 Jun to 30 Sept 2027The monsoon, light and quick-dryingFrom mid June to the end of September, women choose cloths that dry fast and lighter drapes that do not drag.
about 18 Jun 2027Kabir JayantiThe birthday of Kabir, the weaver-poet of Varanasi, kept by many weaving communities on the full moon of Jyeshtha.July 2027
about 5 Jul 2027Rath Yatra, PuriAt the chariot festival of Puri, Odia women wear Sambalpuri and cotton sarees, and the Khandua cloth belongs to Jagannath himself.
about 19 Jul to 17 Aug 2027Sawan, the green monthIn north India the rainy month of Sawan (Shravana) is the season of green sarees, bangles and henna.August 2027
about 3 Aug 2027Aadi PerukkuThe eighteenth day of the Tamil month Aadi, when rivers are thanked for the rains and new clothes are worn.
4 Aug 2027Hariyali TeejThe monsoon Teej of north India, with green sarees, glass bangles, henna and swings hung from trees.
7 Aug 2027National Handloom DayIndia's day for weavers and handloom cloth, 7 August, with exhibitions, awards and a call to wear a handloom saree.
13 Aug 2027Varalakshmi VratamMarried women of the south worship Lakshmi on the Friday before the full moon, in silk sarees with gold jewellery.
about 15 Aug 2027Parsi New Year (Navroze)The Parsi new year in August, when women wear the gara, an embroidered saree with Chinese-influenced motifs.
15 Aug 2027Independence DayIndia's 15 August national day, marked with flag hoisting, khadi and tricolour sarees.
about 15 Aug 2027India Day Parade, New YorkIn mid August New York's Indian community marches up Madison Avenue, with floats, dancers and sarees in the colours of the flag.
17 Aug 2027Raksha BandhanSisters tie a rakhi on their brothers' wrists, often in a new saree, and receive a gift in return.
20 Aug 2027Kajari TeejA monsoon Teej kept by women of the Hindi belt with fasting, folk songs called kajari, and festive clothes.
24 Aug 2027National Kebaya Day, IndonesiaIndonesia's Kebaya Day, set in 2023, asks everyone to wear the kebaya with a wrapped kain.
25 Aug 2027Krishna JanmashtamiThe birth of Krishna at midnight, kept with fasting, dahi handi in Maharashtra, and yellow and blue clothes.September 2027
3 Sept 2027Hartalika TeejWomen fast a full day, some without water, in red or green sarees, remembering Parvati's penance to win Shiva.
3 Sept 2027Gowri HabbaKarnataka's festival of the goddess Gowri, the day before Ganesha, with silk sarees and gifts of bagina.
about 3 Sept 2027Teej in NepalNepali women fast and dance in red sarees, with green glass bangles and the pote, for the festival of Teej.
4 Sept 2027Ganesh ChaturthiThe birthday of Ganesha, kept for up to ten days, when Maharashtrian women wear the nine-yard nauvari or a Paithani.
about 5 Sept 2027NuakhaiWestern Odisha eats the first new rice together, in new Sambalpuri sarees, and greets with Nuakhai Juhar.
12 Sept 2027OnamThe harvest festival of Kerala: women wear the cream and gold kasavu saree or set-mundu, and a flower carpet is laid at the door.
17 Sept 2027Vishwakarma PujaThe day artisans and workers honour their tools and looms, kept in mid September.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kebaya: Simon_sees, CC BY 2.0, source
- Navratri: Mukerjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Navaratri Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mysuru Dasara: Kalyan Kumar, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dussehra: DiplomatTesterMan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bathukamma: Randhirreddy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Diwali: Kalli navya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dhanteras: The original uploader was F16 at Hebrew Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bhai Dooj: SandeshLamsalNepal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Karva Chauth: Iamwiki001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Akshaya Tritiya: Fgndgndgnr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hariyali Teej: Ganesh Paudel at ne.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Baisakhi: Michael Clark, CC BY 2.0, source
- Raksha Bandhan: Suyash.dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sawan Green Sarees: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
- Ganesh Chaturthi: Original uploader was MatthieuMoy at fr.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, source
- Krishna Janmashtami: Nvvchar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Varalakshmi Vratam: B.saketh, Attribution, source
- Onam: Jiteshgt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vishu: Vishnu Kunnathully, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Puthandu: Amila Tennakoon, CC BY 2.0, source
- Karthigai Deepam: SriniG, Public domain, source
- Pongal: Saral Shots, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Makar Sankranti: Saloni Desai, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lohri: Karen Sandhu, CC BY 2.0, source
- Holi: Jitenderasingh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vasant Panchami: Nitin Das, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gangaur: Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ugadi: Kalyan Kanuri, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Gudi Padwa: Abhijit Tembhekar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Aadi Perukku: Peenumx, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Eid Ul Fitr India: Mohammed Tawsif Salam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Christmas Kerala Goa: LLs, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Republic Day: mannat sharma, CC BY 3.0 br, source
- Independence Day: Vidur Malhotra, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gandhi Jayanti Khadi: Elliott & Fry, Public domain, source
- Vishwakarma Puja: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Surajkund Mela: Varun Shiv Kapur, CC BY 2.0, source
- Karnataka Rajyotsava: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Durga Puja Bengal: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kali Puja Bengal: Jonoikobangali, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kojagari Lakshmi Puja: ShotgunMavericks, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dol Jatra Santiniketan: Satyabrata sahoo369, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Poila Boishakh West Bengal: Abidhasan00, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Poush Mela Santiniketan: Anindya Mondal 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rath Yatra Puri: G.-U. Tolkiehn, CC BY 2.5, source
- Nuakhai Odisha: Mamata Padhi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Raja Parba Odisha: Saroj Bal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Odia New Year Pana Sankranti: Goutama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chhath Puja Bihar: Steffen Gauger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sarhul Jharkhand: Gurpreet Singh Ranchi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bohag Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bhogali Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hornbill Festival: Vikramjit Kakati, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yaoshang Manipur: GuruBidya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dev Uthani Wedding Season: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Pohela Falgun Bangladesh: Ashraf Siddiqui, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ekushey February Bangladesh: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Victory Day Bangladesh: Jubair1985, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vesak Sri Lanka: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dashain Nepal: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Tihar Nepal: Sreekumar K. S., CC BY 2.0, source
- Thingyan Myanmar: Pagan era painter(s), Public domain, source
- Tazaungdaing Myanmar: Christian Heimig, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kartini Day Indonesia: The original uploader was Sumbuddi at English Wikipedia ., Public domain, source
- Khmer New Year: Sam Sith, CC BY 2.0, source
- Thaipusam Malaysia: hams Nocete, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Indian Arrival Day Trinidad: SMU Central University Libraries, Public domain, source
- Aapravasi Day Mauritius: Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source