Karthika Masam 2026 in Dubai and the UAE: Dates, Somavarams and Karthika Pournami Timings

Quick answer: Karthika Masam 2026 in Dubai and the UAE begins on Tuesday 10 November 2026 and ends with Karthika Amavasya on Tuesday 8 December 2026 — the same dates as India. There are four Karthika Somavarams: 16, 23 and 30 November and 7 December. Karthika Pournami is Tuesday 24 November: Purnima tithi runs from 10:12 PM GST on Monday 23 November to 6:53 PM GST on Tuesday 24 November, so light the Pournami lamps on Tuesday evening after sunset (5:28 PM in Dubai) and before 6:53 PM.

Editor's note (5 October 2026): Dates in this guide were calculated with Drik Panchang rules for local sunrise in the UAE (the tithi current at sunrise names the day; Nagula Chavithi takes Chaturthi at midday, Masik Shivaratri takes Krishna Chaturdashi at midnight, and Karthigai Deepam takes Krittika nakshatra at sunset). The method was checked against Drik Panchang for New York, Toronto, London and New Delhi. Purnima begin and end times are exact tithi instants shown in Gulf Standard Time (GST), and sunsets use the NOAA method. Temple programmes for 2026 have not been confirmed, so none are listed here.

For the large Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayali communities of the Emirates, Karthika Masam is the month of early baths, evening lamps, Monday fasts for Lord Shiva and Tulasi worship for Lord Vishnu. The UAE is in a happy position this year: every festival date matches India, so the panchangam your family uses at home and the dates your relatives keep in Hyderabad, Bengaluru or Chennai are the same as yours. What differs is the clock, and on Karthika Pournami that matters. For the meaning of the whole month, see our Karthika Masam 2026 guide.

Karthika Masam 2026 dates in the UAE

These dates hold in every emirate — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain and the rest. The UAE does not use daylight saving time, so every time here is Gulf Standard Time (GST), 90 minutes behind India.

Why does the UAE match India so closely while the USA, UK and Australia do not? A panchang names each day by the tithi running at local sunrise. Sunrise in the Emirates comes only an hour or so after sunrise in India, so in 2026 no tithi changes in that gap on any of the key days. Families in North America and Britain, by contrast, begin Karthika Masam on Monday 9 November, and Australia ends it on Wednesday 9 December. If relatives abroad quote different dates, both sides can be right.

Even so, temples and priests sometimes announce a programme on the nearest weekend rather than the exact day. Keep the tithi at home on its date, and join the community celebration whenever it is held.

Karthika Somavaram 2026 dates and the Monday vratham

Monday (Somavaram) is Lord Shiva's day, and in Karthika Masam each Monday becomes a vratham. In the UAE the four Karthika Somavarams are Monday 16 November, Monday 23 November, Monday 30 November and Monday 7 December 2026.

How to keep the Somavaram vratham

• Choose a fast you can sustain: traditionally a full fast (upavasam) until evening; many keep a fruit-and-milk fast; others take one simple sattvic meal. Elders, children, pregnant women and anyone with a health condition should choose a gentle form — devotion matters more than hardship.
• Morning: bathe early, light a lamp before Shiva, and offer water, milk or bilva leaves to a Shiva lingam if you have one. Chanting "Om Namah Shivaya" 108 times takes only a few minutes.
• Rudrabhishekam: temples in the UAE may offer abhishekam or special pujas on Karthika Mondays; check their notices and book ahead where needed. At home, a simple abhishekam with water and milk while reciting the Panchakshari is a complete offering.
• Evening lamp: light a ghee or sesame-oil deepam after sunset, which in November comes at around half past five across the Emirates.
• Nakta meal: those keeping the traditional nakta vratham break the fast with a sattvic meal after sunset or after the moon is seen. Many families also avoid onion, garlic, meat, eggs and alcohol for the whole month.

Working-week tips for UAE devotees

For most employers the UAE working week now runs Monday to Friday, so all four Somavarams are working days. A fruit-and-milk fast is easier to hold through a long office day, and the early sunset means the nakta meal can be at an ordinary dinner time. Weekend evenings are the natural time for temple visits; this year Ksheerabdi Dwadasi falls on Saturday 21 November. Read the Karthika Somavaram vratham katha with the family, and see Karthika Somavaram 2026 for the significance.

Karthika Pournami 2026 in the UAE, city by city

Karthika Pournami is the brightest night of the month: Tripura Purnima, when Lord Shiva destroyed the three flying cities of the asuras, and the night when lamps are lit by the hundreds in homes and temples. Purnima begins and ends at the same instant everywhere; the table shows it in GST, with each city's sunset.

The Pournami lamp window: Tuesday evening, before 6:53 PM

In the UAE, Purnima covers sunset on Tuesday 24 November — it is current at sunrise and still running when the sun sets — so Tuesday is both the calendar date of Kartika Purnima and the ideal evening for the lamps. But Purnima ends at 6:53 PM GST, only a little over an hour after sunset. To light the deepam within Purnima:

• Dubai and Sharjah: sunset 5:28 PM; light the lamps between then and 6:53 PM.
• Abu Dhabi: sunset 5:33 PM; the window is slightly shorter, closing at 6:53 PM.
• Ras Al Khaimah: sunset 5:25 PM, the earliest of the five cities.
• Al Ain: sunset 5:28 PM.
• Plan ahead: clean the lamps, roll the wicks and set out the oil or ghee in the afternoon, and if you work until 6 PM, consider leaving a little early or asking a family member at home to light the first lamp at sunset.

Lamps lit after 6:53 PM are still an offering of light — no lamp in Karthika is wasted — but those who wish to light the main Pournami deepam within Purnima tithi should aim for the window above. On Monday 23 November, Purnima begins only at 10:12 PM, well after sunset, so Monday evening is an ordinary Karthika Somavaram.

Remember that India's times are not UAE times. Purnima ends at 8:23 PM IST in New Delhi, which is the same instant as 6:53 PM in Dubai. If a forwarded message says "Purnima until 8:23 PM", subtract 90 minutes for the Emirates — or simply use the table above.

Pournami traditions: 365 wicks, Jwala Thoranam and deepa daanam

• 365 wicks: many Telugu families light a lamp of 365 cotton wicks soaked in ghee — one for each day of the year — so that the merit of a full year of lamps is gained in one evening. See 365 wick oil deepam (vattulu). It makes a large flame, so light it on a metal tray, away from curtains and never unattended.
• Jwala Thoranam: in Indian temples a burning arch is raised before the deity on Pournami night, recalling Shiva's victory. It is unlikely to be part of home or most community celebrations in the UAE.
• Deepa daanam: giving a lit lamp — to a temple, a priest or a neighbour — is one of the most praised acts of the month. See Karthika snanam and deepa daanam 2026.
• Floating lamps: in India lamps are floated on rivers and tanks. In the UAE, keep the custom at home with a bowl of water and a floating diya.

More on the meaning of the night is in Karthika Pournami 2026.

Nagula Chavithi, Ksheerabdi Dwadasi, Karthigai Deepam and Masik Shivaratri

Nagula Chavithi — Friday 13 November

On Nagula Chavithi Telugu families worship the serpent deities for the health and protection of children. In India milk is poured into anthills; in the UAE families offer milk, turmeric and flowers to a silver or clay naga image or a picture at home, or join a temple puja. Many keep a fast until the puja is done. See Nagula Chavithi and Karthika Deepam.

Devutthana Ekadashi and Ksheerabdi Dwadasi — Friday 20 and Saturday 21 November

Lord Vishnu wakes from his four-month yogic sleep on Devutthana (Uttana or Prabodhini) Ekadashi, Friday 20 November. The next day, Saturday 21 November, is Ksheerabdi Dwadasi, when Telugu families perform the Tulasi kalyanam — the wedding of the Tulasi plant with Lord Vishnu, often represented by an amla (usirika) branch — and light lamps around the Tulasi pot. North Indian families celebrate Tulasi Vivah the same day. More in Karthika Ekadashi (Prabodhini) 2026.

Karthigai Deepam (Tamil) — Tuesday 24 November

Tamil families keep Karthigai Deepam when Krittika nakshatra prevails at sunset in the solar month of Karthigai (Vrishchika). In the UAE that is Tuesday 24 November, the same evening as Karthika Pournami. Rows of agal vilakku are lit at the doorstep and in every room, recalling the column of fire at Tiruvannamalai. See Karthigai Deepam 2026 and our Arunachaleswara temple guide.

Masik Shivaratri — Monday 7 December

The Shivaratri of Karthika Masam falls on Monday 7 December, the same day as the fourth and final Karthika Somavaram. Many devotees make it the most intense day of the month: a fast through the day, abhishekam in the evening and Shiva japa into the night.

Other days: Sankranti, Kalabhairav Jayanti, Utpanna Ekadashi, Amavasya

Vrishchika Sankranti, the sun's entry into Scorpio, is on Monday 16 November. Kalabhairav Jayanti, honouring the fierce form of Shiva who guards Kashi, is on Tuesday 1 December. Utpanna Ekadashi is on Friday 4 December, and the month closes with Karthika Amavasya on Tuesday 8 December.

Daily Karthika practices in the UAE

The heart of Karthika Masam is daily: a bath before dawn, a lamp at dusk, sattvic food and the name of the Lord. November is the start of the pleasant season in the Emirates, which makes these easy to keep.

• Karthika snanam: the ideal is a bath in a river before sunrise. In the UAE, bathe at home before sunrise with a prayer to Ganga, Godavari, Kaveri and the sacred rivers; mild mornings make it comfortable.
• Deepam every evening: light a lamp at the threshold or by the Tulasi plant after sunset. November weather suits Tulasi well — keep it in a bright spot and water it regularly.
• Fire safety in apartments: most UAE families live in apartments and villas with sensitive smoke detectors. Keep lamps on a metal or stone plate away from curtains and detectors, never leave them unattended, and keep children and pets clear. Check your building or community rules before lighting anything on a balcony or in a corridor; LED diyas are a good choice for shared spaces and doorways.
• Food: many families give up onion, garlic, meat and eggs for the month. See Karthika Masam food rules and fasting recipes for NRIs.
• Vana bhojanam: the cooler weather makes a Karthika picnic in a park possible on a weekend; follow park rules on cooking and open flames. See Karthika Vana Bhojanalu 2026.
• Reading and mantras: a chapter of the Karthika Puranam each day is a beautiful family habit; see Karthika Mahatmya stories and Karthika Masam mantras.

A step-by-step home routine is in how to perform Karthika Masam vratham at home.

Telugu Karthika Masam vs North Indian Kartik

This guide follows the amanta calendar used in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat, where a month runs from the day after Amavasya to the next Amavasya. North Indian families follow the purnimanta calendar, in which Kartik runs from the day after one full moon to the next. Their Kartik began in late October, around 26 October, and ends at Kartika Purnima on Tuesday 24 November. The festivals themselves — Prabodhini Ekadashi, Tulasi Vivah and Kartik Purnima — fall on the same days in both systems; only the month names around them differ.

Temples and community in the UAE

The UAE's Hindu community gathers at a small number of places of worship, the best known being the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi and the Hindu temple at Jebel Ali in Dubai. Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayali associations also organise Karthika Deepotsavam and Pournami gatherings in some years. We have not listed specific events because 2026 schedules are not yet published — please check each temple's official website or notices for timings and visitor guidance, and expect crowds on Pournami and on weekends.

For background on the great Shiva shrine of the Telugu lands, see Srisailam in Karthika Masam 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When does Karthika Masam 2026 start in Dubai and the UAE?

Karthika Masam (amanta, as followed by Telugu, Kannada and Marathi families) begins on Tuesday 10 November 2026 in the UAE and ends with Karthika Amavasya on Tuesday 8 December 2026. These are exactly the same dates as in India.

What are the Karthika Somavaram dates in the UAE in 2026?

There are four Karthika Somavarams in the UAE: Monday 16 November, Monday 23 November, Monday 30 November and Monday 7 December 2026. The last one is also Masik Shivaratri.

When is Karthika Pournami 2026 in Dubai?

Karthika Pournami (Kartika Purnima) is on Tuesday 24 November 2026. Purnima tithi begins at 10:12 PM GST on Monday 23 November and ends at 6:53 PM GST on Tuesday 24 November, in every emirate.

What time should I light the Karthika Pournami deepam in Dubai?

Light the Pournami lamps on Tuesday 24 November after sunset — 5:28 PM in Dubai, 5:33 PM in Abu Dhabi — and before Purnima ends at 6:53 PM GST. That gives a window of a little over an hour in Dubai, so prepare the lamps before you light them.

Are the UAE Karthika dates different from India?

No. In 2026 every key date in the UAE — the start and end of the month, the four Somavarams, Nagula Chavithi, Devutthana Ekadashi, Ksheerabdi Dwadasi, Karthika Pournami, Karthigai Deepam and Masik Shivaratri — matches India. Only clock times differ, because the UAE is 90 minutes behind India.

When is Nagula Chavithi 2026 in the UAE?

Nagula Chavithi is on Friday 13 November 2026 in the UAE, the same date as in India.

Related guides

• Karthika Masam 2026 — dates, rituals and significance
• Karthika Pournami 2026
• Karthika Somavaram vratham katha
• Karthika Masam 2026 USA: dates, Somavarams and Pournami city by city
• Karthika Masam 2026 UK: dates, Somavarams and Pournami city by city
• Karthika Masam 2026 Canada: dates, Somavarams and Pournami city by city
• Karthika Masam 2026 Australia: dates, Somavarams and Pournami city by city
• Diwali 2026 Dubai and UAE: Lakshmi Puja muhurat
• November 2026 Hindu festivals calendar