Festival Names, Explained
Festival Names — Where They Actually Come From
Not a festival-date calendar (see our sister site Daily Calendar for 2026 dates) — this is about what each festival's name literally means in Sanskrit, and the Panchang timing (Tithi, Paksha, month) behind it.
दीपावली
Diwali
होली
Holi
जन्माष्टमी
Janmashtami
गणेश चतुर्थी
Ganesh Chaturthi
महाशिवरात्रि
Maha Shivaratri
नवरात्रि
Navratri
विजयादशमी
Dussehra
राम नवमी
Ram Navami
हनुमान जयन्ती
Hanuman Jayanti
मकर संक्रान्ति
Makar Sankranti
वसन्त पञ्चमी
Vasant Panchami
अक्षय तृतीया
Akshaya Tritiya
गुरु पूर्णिमा
Guru Purnima
रक्षा बन्धन
Raksha Bandhan
करवा चतुर्थी
Karwa Chauth
धनत्रयोदशी
Dhanteras
भ्रातृ द्वितीया
Bhai Dooj
षष्ठी पूजा
Chhath Puja
Looking for a festival not listed above? See other festivals.