Vrat & Fasting Calendar
Every Ekadashi date for 2026.
About Vrat and Fasting Days
A vrat is a vow — usually involving fasting, but more broadly a period of restraint undertaken with a specific intention. Vrat days follow the lunar calendar, which is why they fall on different dates in the Gregorian calendar each year.
The major recurring vrats
Ekadashi falls on the eleventh tithi of each lunar fortnight, so twice a month, and is observed by many Vaishnavas with a grain-free fast. Purnima (full moon) and Amavasya (new moon) each carry their own observances. Pradosh is kept on the thirteenth tithi and is dedicated to Shiva, observed in the hour and a half around sunset. Sankashti Chaturthi is a Ganesha vrat on the fourth tithi of the waning fortnight, traditionally broken after moonrise.
Why dates vary by source
A tithi is a lunar day, and it does not align neatly with a 24-hour civil day — it can begin and end at any hour. Different traditions resolve this differently, some using the tithi at sunrise and others requiring it to be current at a particular time of day. This is why two panchangs can list a vrat on different dates, and why observances involving an adhika (extra) month shift within the year.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a fast usually involve?
- It varies by vrat and by family. Some observe nirjala, without even water; more commonly people take fruit, milk and specific "vrat" flours while avoiding grains, and break the fast at a prescribed time such as after moonrise or on the following morning.
- Can a vrat be observed without a full fast?
- Many families adapt for health, age or pregnancy, keeping a partial fast or substituting other observances. The vow and the intention behind it are traditionally regarded as the essential part.