Diwali 2026 in the USA: Lakshmi Puja Muhurat City by City, Dhanteras Timings and the 5-Day Calendar

Quick answer: Diwali 2026 in the USA is on Sunday 8 November. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat in New York City is 5:04 PM – 6:52 PM EST (Drik Panchang), in Chicago 4:54 PM – 6:41 PM CST, in Houston 5:51 PM – 7:46 PM CST and in the Bay Area 5:21 PM – 7:12 PM PST. Dhanteras is Friday 6 November (New York puja muhurat 5:10 PM – 6:59 PM). Govardhan Puja is Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj Tuesday 10 November — one day earlier than in India.

Every year family WhatsApp groups across America ask the same question: "What time is Lakshmi Puja here?" This guide answers it for 15 US cities and walks you through a devotional Lakshmi-Ganesh puja at home. For community events and planning, see our Diwali 2026 USA guide.

Diwali 2026 dates in the USA: the five days

These are Drik Panchang's dates for the USA and they hold in every time zone, from Eastern to Pacific. Three days differ from India: Naraka Chaturdashi is a separate day here (Saturday 7 November) rather than the morning of Diwali, and Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj come a day earlier, because Kartika Pratipada is already running at American sunrise on Monday 9 November. If relatives in India say "Govardhan on Tuesday", both of you are right.

US daylight saving time ends on Sunday 1 November 2026, a week before Diwali, so every time in this guide is standard time (EST, CST, MST, PST).

Lakshmi Puja muhurat 2026, city by city

Lakshmi Puja is performed on the evening of Amavasya in Pradosh Kaal — the first part of the night after sunset — and ideally while Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna, a fixed (sthira) sign, is rising, so that the Goddess's blessings stay steady in the home. The muhurat below is the overlap of the two, using the sidereal zodiac: this is the method Drik Panchang uses. The New York row is Drik Panchang's published value; the other rows are calculated by the same method and agree to within about a minute.

How to use the table:

• Best time: begin the main Lakshmi-Ganesh puja inside the Lakshmi Puja muhurat. Start the preparatory steps (sankalp, Ganesh puja, kalash) a few minutes before it opens.
• If you miss it: the rest of Pradosh Kaal is still an auspicious evening window; most priests prefer it to a late-night puja.
• Not on the list? use the nearest city in the same time zone — Fort Worth can follow Dallas, Orange County Los Angeles.
• Atlanta and Detroit: both sit at the western edge of Eastern Time, so their windows come later on the clock.

Never use India's muhurat converted to US time

This is the most common Diwali mistake in America. India's Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 5:54 PM – 7:50 PM IST (New Delhi, Drik Panchang). Converted to US time, that becomes:

• Eastern: 7:24 AM – 9:20 AM on Sunday morning
• Central: 6:24 AM – 8:20 AM
• Mountain: 5:24 AM – 7:20 AM
• Pacific: 4:24 AM – 6:20 AM, before dawn

None of these is Lakshmi Puja. The muhurat is tied to your own sunset and the lagna rising over your own horizon. If a forwarded message gives a single "US time" for the whole country, ignore it and use the table above or your temple's time.

How to do Lakshmi-Ganesh puja at home

You do not need a priest for a heartfelt Diwali puja. What matters is a clean home, a calm mind and devotion. The steps below follow the common North Indian household order; adapt them to your family's tradition.

Puja samagri (what to gather)

• Idols or a framed picture of Lakshmi and Ganesha (many families also keep Saraswati and Kubera)
• A low table (chowki) with a red or yellow cloth, and a handful of uncooked rice or wheat
• A kalash (copper, brass or steel pot) with water, a few mango or betel leaves and a coconut
• Diyas with ghee or sesame oil and cotton wicks; a larger lamp to burn through the night if it is safe to do so
• Kumkum (roli), haldi, chandan (sandalwood paste), akshat (rice mixed with kumkum)
• Flowers — lotus if you can find one, otherwise marigolds or roses — and a garland
• Incense, camphor, a bell, and a plate (thali) for aarti
• Naivedya: kheer, laddoos, batashe, kheel (puffed rice), seasonal fruit, paan and supari
• Silver or gold coins, new account books or a cheque book, and a little cash for the puja

Before the muhurat

Clean the house thoroughly during the day — Lakshmi is said to enter homes that are clean and bright. Draw a rangoli at the entrance and, if you like, small footprints of the Goddess stepping inward. Bathe, wear fresh or new clothes, and set up the altar facing east or north. Place Ganesha on Lakshmi's right (your left as you face the altar), with the kalash on a small mound of rice beside them.

Step-by-step puja vidhi

1. Achaman and purification: sip a little water three times, sprinkle water over yourself, the family and the samagri, and light the main diya.
2. Sankalp: hold water, rice and a flower in your right hand and state your intention — your name, gotra if you know it, the place ("in the city of ___, in America"), the day ("Kartika Amavasya, Sunday 8 November 2026") and your prayer for the family's health, harmony and prosperity. Release the water onto a plate.
3. Ganesh puja: always first. Offer kumkum, akshat, flowers and a laddoo, chanting "Om Gan Ganapataye Namah".
4. Kalash puja: offer kumkum and flowers to the kalash, which represents the waters of all sacred rivers and the presence of the devas.
5. Avahan of Mahalakshmi: with folded hands, invite the Goddess into the image and into your home. Offer a seat (a flower), water to wash her feet, then bathe the idol with panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar) and clean water — or simply sprinkle water on a picture.
6. Shringar and offerings: offer chandan, kumkum, haldi, akshat, flowers and the garland, then incense and the lamp. Place the coins and account books before her and mark them with kumkum and a swastika.
7. Mantra japa: chant "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah" 11, 21 or 108 times (meanings below).
8. Naivedya: offer the sweets, kheel-batashe and fruit, sprinkle a little water around the plate, and pray that the Goddess accepts it.
9. Aarti: wave the camphor or ghee lamp in clockwise circles while the family sings "Om Jai Lakshmi Mata", then pass the aarti so everyone can receive its warmth.
10. Kshama prarthana: ask forgiveness for any mistakes in the puja, take blessings from elders, and share prasad.
11. Deepdaan: light diyas at the entrance, windows and every room. Keep at least one lamp in the puja room as long as it can be watched safely.

Mantras and their meaning

• Om Gan Ganapataye Namah — "Salutations to Ganapati", the remover of obstacles, who is worshipped before any undertaking.
• Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha, Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva-Karyeshu Sarvada — "O Lord of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a million suns, remove the obstacles from all my work, always."
• Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah — "Om, I bow to Mahalakshmi." Shreem is the bija (seed) sound of Lakshmi, carrying abundance, beauty, grace and auspiciousness. Chant it slowly, ideally on a lotus-seed or crystal mala.
• Om Mahalakshmyai Cha Vidmahe, Vishnupatnyai Cha Dhimahi, Tanno Lakshmih Prachodayat — the Lakshmi Gayatri: "May we know Mahalakshmi; may we meditate on the beloved of Vishnu; may Lakshmi inspire and illumine us."
• Om Yakshaya Kuberaya Vaishravanaya Dhanadhanyadhipataye Dhanadhanya Samriddhim Me Dehi Dapaya Svaha — a prayer to Kubera, lord of wealth and grain, for prosperity that sustains the household.

Aarti: Om Jai Lakshmi Mata

Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, Maiya Jai Lakshmi Mata; Tumko nishdin sevat, Hara Vishnu Vidhata. — "Victory to you, Mother Lakshmi; Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma serve you day and night."

Uma Rama Brahmani, tum hi jag-mata. — "You are Uma, Rama and Brahmani; you alone are the Mother of the world." Continue with the full aarti from your family's book, and end with "Om Jai Jagdish Hare" if that is your custom.

The other four days: customs and meaning

Dhanteras, Friday 6 November

Dhanteras honours Lord Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods who rose from the churning of the ocean holding the pot of amrit, and Mahalakshmi as the giver of wealth. Families buy something of metal — a steel or brass vessel, a silver coin, gold if the budget allows — and many also buy a new broom, a symbol of sweeping out poverty. In the evening, do a short Lakshmi-Kubera-Dhanvantari puja during your city's Dhanteras muhurat (New York 5:10 PM – 6:59 PM; Los Angeles 5:22 PM – 7:14 PM) and light the Yama Deepam: a four-wick lamp placed outside the main door facing south, offered to Yama for the protection of the family from untimely death.

Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali), Saturday 7 November

This day remembers Lord Krishna's victory, with Satyabhama, over the demon Narakasura. The traditional observance is abhyanga snan — an oil massage and bath before sunrise, sometimes with ubtan (gram flour and turmeric paste) — followed by new clothes, a visit to the temple and the first diyas of the season in the evening. Gujarati families observe Kali Chaudas around this time, and Bengali families keep Kali Puja on the Amavasya night — check your local puja committee for its exact date and time.

Govardhan Puja and Annakut, Monday 9 November

Govardhan Puja recalls Krishna lifting Govardhan hill to shelter the people of Vraj from Indra's storms. Homes make a small Govardhan from cow dung or, more practically in America, from dough or food, and temples prepare Annakut, a "mountain of food" with dozens of dishes offered to the Lord. Gujarati families celebrate their New Year (Bestu Varas) on this Kartika Pratipada. Many temples hold Annakut darshan in the evening or on the following weekend.

Bhai Dooj, Tuesday 10 November

Bhai Dooj celebrates the bond of brothers and sisters, inspired by Yamuna welcoming her brother Yama to her home. Sisters apply tilak, perform a small aarti and pray for their brothers' long life; brothers give gifts and promise protection. Siblings in India keep it on Wednesday 11 November, so plan any video-call tilak accordingly.

Practical tips for Diwali in the USA

• Time zones: a family spread from New Jersey to California will do Lakshmi Puja about three clock hours apart only if each follows local time — and that is exactly right. Never share one "US" muhurat across zones.
• Sunday advantage: the whole family can be home for the evening muhurat. Prepare samagri and sweets on Saturday so Sunday afternoon is calm.
• Fire safety: keep diyas away from curtains, keep children and pets supervised, and never leave lamps unattended. Apartment and HOA rules may restrict open flames on balconies — LED diyas are a good outdoor alternative.
• Fireworks: consumer fireworks laws vary widely by state, county and city, and some areas ban them entirely. Check local rules, and consider sparklers only where they are permitted.

Temples and community celebrations

Most Hindu temples in the USA hold Lakshmi Puja and Annakut, and community associations organise Diwali melas on nearby weekends. Well-known temples such as BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville and the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh usually publish their schedules a few weeks ahead — check your temple's own notices for 2026 timings, and expect crowds on Sunday evening.

Frequently asked questions

When is Diwali 2026 in the USA?

Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) is on Sunday 8 November 2026 in every US time zone. Dhanteras is Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) Saturday 7 November, Govardhan Puja Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj Tuesday 10 November (Drik Panchang for the USA).

What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat in New York on Diwali 2026?

In New York City the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 5:04 PM – 6:52 PM EST on Sunday 8 November 2026, within Pradosh Kaal of 4:44 PM – 7:31 PM. This is Drik Panchang's published time. Edison, NJ is 5:05 PM – 6:53 PM and Philadelphia 5:09 PM – 6:58 PM.

Can I use the Indian Lakshmi Puja time converted to US time?

No. India's muhurat (5:54 PM – 7:50 PM IST in New Delhi) converts to 7:24 AM – 9:20 AM EST or 4:24 AM – 6:20 AM PST on Sunday morning — the wrong time of day entirely. Lakshmi Puja belongs to the evening after your own local sunset, so always use your city's window.

What is the Dhanteras puja muhurat in the USA in 2026?

Dhanteras is Friday 6 November 2026. The puja muhurat is 5:10 PM – 6:59 PM in New York, 5:02 PM – 6:49 PM in Chicago, 5:59 PM – 7:54 PM in Houston and 5:22 PM – 7:14 PM in Los Angeles. Every city is in the table above.

Why are Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj a day earlier in the USA than in India?

Tithis begin at the same moment worldwide, but the date of a festival depends on which tithi prevails at local sunrise. In the USA, Pratipada is already running at sunrise on Monday 9 November, so Govardhan Puja is that day and Bhai Dooj follows on Tuesday 10 November. In India they fall on 10 and 11 November.

Is Diwali a holiday in the USA in 2026?

Diwali is not a federal holiday, but in 2026 it falls on a Sunday, so most families can keep the evening muhurat without taking leave. Dhanteras and Bhai Dooj are working days.

Editor's note (5 October 2026): Festival dates follow Drik Panchang for the USA. The Lakshmi Puja and Dhanteras muhurats are the overlap of Pradosh Kaal and the sidereal Vrishabha lagna; the New York row is Drik Panchang's published value and the other cities were calculated by the same method to within about a minute. Temple and community programmes are not yet confirmed — organisers are still publishing 2026 flyers; we will update this guide.

Related guides

• Diwali 2026 — dates, rituals and significance
• Diwali 2026 in the USA — celebrations and planning
• Diwali 2026 Canada: Lakshmi Puja muhurat city by city
• Diwali 2026 UK: Lakshmi Puja muhurat city by city
• Diwali 2026 Australia: Lakshmi Puja muhurat city by city
• Karwa Chauth 2026 — city-wise moonrise times
• November 2026 Hindu festivals calendar
• Dussehra 2026 USA, state by state