Purnima and Amavasya Dates 2026
Full and New Moons
Every full moon (Purnima) and new moon (Amavasya) of 2026, computed from the Moon's actual position rather than a printed table.
- 13 Purnimas and 11 Amavasyas in 2026
- Purnima: the Moon exactly opposite the Sun
- Amavasya: the Moon exactly with the Sun
- Roughly fifteen days apart, alternating
What they are
Purnima is the moment the Moon stands opposite the Sun and is fully lit; Amavasya is when it sits alongside the Sun and is dark. Every lunar fortnight ends in one or the other.
Why they matter
Purnima carries Guru Purnima, Kartik Purnima and Holi's bonfire. Amavasya carries Diwali's Lakshmi Puja and the Pitru Tarpan of Mahalaya.
Why a month can seem to skip one
These lists show the day the tithi is running at sunrise. A tithi lasts anywhere from nineteen to twenty-six hours, so it can occasionally begin and end between two sunrises and appear on no day at all — or stretch across two and appear twice.
Fasting and observance
Satyanarayan Puja is kept on Purnima; Amavasya is when offerings are made to ancestors. Both are traditionally days for restraint rather than beginnings.
Your chart
A full moon falling on your birth nakshatra reads differently from one that does not. The panchang gives the day; a chart gives the meaning.
✦ Computed for New Delhi.
This is the general reading. Your birth chart tells you which of it applies to you.
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