The Vaishnava year
Festivals
Throughout the year Vaishnavas celebrate the appearances of Krishna in His different forms and those of the great teachers. These are the twelve main dates, in the order they come in 2026.
30 January · Until noon
Nityānanda Trayodaśī
The day of Nityānanda, Caitanya’s closest companion and mercy in person.
Read →3 March · Until moonrise
Gaura Pūrṇimā
The full moon on which Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared, the one who spread the chanting of God’s names.
Read →26 March · Until sunset
Rāma Navamī
The birth of Rāma, the ideal king, whose story is told in the Rāmāyaṇa.
Read →30 April · Until dusk
Nṛsiṁha Caturdaśī
The day God appeared half man and half lion to protect a child devotee.
Read →16 July · No fast
Ratha-yātrā
Jagannātha leaves the temple on a giant chariot pulled by devotees through the streets.
Read →27 August · Until noon
Balarāma Pūrṇimā
The full moon on which Balarāma, Krishna’s elder brother, appeared.
Read →4 September · Until midnight
Janmāṣṭamī
The night Krishna appeared in this world. It is the biggest festival of the Vaishnava year.
Read →5 September · Until noon
Appearance of Śrīla Prabhupāda
The day devotees thank Prabhupāda for bringing Krishna consciousness to the West.
Read →19 September · Until noon
Rādhāṣṭamī
Fifteen days after Janmāṣṭamī, the appearance of Rādhā, devotion in person, is celebrated.
Read →9 November · No fast
Govardhana Pūjā
The day Govardhana Hill is worshipped with a mountain of food, and the cows are honoured.
Read →13 November · Until noon
Disappearance of Śrīla Prabhupāda
The anniversary of the day Prabhupāda left this world, in Vrindavan, in 1977.
Read →20 December · Falls on Ekadashi
Gītā Jayantī
The anniversary of the day Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna at Kurukṣetra.
Read →Why “appearance” and not “birth”
In the calendar you will see that Krishna and the teachers are said to “appear” and “depart”, not to be born and die. The tradition teaches that God and His eternal companions are not subject to birth or death: they become visible in this world for a time and then are no longer in view.
Fasting days
On almost every festival devotees fast for part of the day, until the hour when the event being celebrated took place, and then break the fast with a feast. The fast is not a penance: it is a way of dedicating the whole day to remembrance. On top of that, Ekadashi is kept every fortnight.