Karthika Masam 2026 in the USA: Dates, Five Somavarams and Karthika Pournami Times City by City

Quick answer: Karthika Masam 2026 in the USA begins on Monday 9 November, the day after Diwali, and ends with Karthika Amavasya on Tuesday 8 December. That gives American devotees five Karthika Somavarams: 9, 16, 23 and 30 November and 7 December (India has four, because its month begins on Tuesday 10 November). Karthika Pournami: the Purnima tithi runs from 1:12 PM Eastern on Monday 23 November to 9:53 AM Eastern on Tuesday 24 November, so the full-moon evening for lamps is Monday 23 November, while Drik Panchang lists Kartika Purnima on Tuesday 24 November.

Editor's note (5 October 2026): All dates were calculated with Drik Panchang rules for local sunrise (the tithi current at sunrise names the day; Nagula Chavithi uses midday, Masik Shivaratri midnight and Karthigai Deepam the nakshatra at sunset), and checked against Drik Panchang's day panchang for New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London and New Delhi. Purnima begin and end times are Drik Panchang's exact tithi instants shown in each US time zone; sunsets use the NOAA method.

Karthika is the month Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu share: the month of the Somavara vratham, the lamp at dusk, Tulasi and the pre-dawn holy bath. In America it is kept around office hours and early sunsets. For the wider story of the month, see our Karthika Masam 2026 pillar guide.

Karthika Masam 2026 dates in the USA

These dates hold in every US time zone, from New York to Seattle (including Arizona, which stays on MST all year). US clocks fell back on Sunday 1 November 2026, so every time in this guide is standard time.

Why the USA starts a day earlier than India. A tithi begins at the same instant all over the world, but the Hindu calendar names each day by the tithi that is current at local sunrise. On Monday 9 November, Kartika Shukla Pratipada is already running at sunrise in America (Drik Panchang's New York page marks it so), while in India Pratipada arrives only after sunrise and the month begins on Tuesday 10 November. Neither calendar is wrong. Many US temples follow the Indian dates, so check your temple's panchangam and follow it for temple programmes; at home the American dates are equally valid.

Karthika Somavaram dates and the Monday vratham

Mondays (Somavarams) in Karthika are especially dear to Lord Shiva. In the USA the five Karthika Somavarams in 2026 are:

• Monday 9 November — the first day of the month itself, the morning after Diwali
• Monday 16 November — also Vrishchika Sankranti, the Sun's entry into Scorpio
• Monday 23 November — the Pournami evening and Karthigai Deepam in the US calendar, the most important Monday of the month
• Monday 30 November — also Kalabhairav Jayanti
• Monday 7 December — the extra fifth Somavaram, the day before Karthika Amavasya

For a step-by-step puja, see Karthika Somavaram 2026 and the Karthika Somavaram vratham katha.

How to keep the Somavaram vratham

• Choose a level of fasting you can sustain: a full upavasam (water only, or nothing) for those in good health; a phalahar fast of fruit, milk and nuts; or ekabhuktam, a single satvik meal. Elders, the unwell and pregnant women should choose the gentlest form.
• Morning: bathe early, wear clean clothes and offer water, milk or panchamrit to a Shivalingam, with bilva leaves if you can find them (Indian grocers often stock them in Karthika). Chant "Om Namah Shivaya".
• Rudrabhishekam: many temples perform Rudrabhishekam on Karthika Mondays; you can sponsor or attend one, or recite Sri Rudram at home.
• Evening lamp: at sunset, light a ghee or sesame-oil deepam before Shiva and at the threshold.
• Breaking the fast (naktam): traditionally the fast is broken at night, after sunset or after sighting the moon or the stars, with a simple satvik meal and prasadam.

Working-week tips for NRIs

All five Somavarams are working days. A light phalahar fast is easier to keep through meetings than a full fast; carry fruit, nuts and water. Do the abhishekam before work and light the deepam as soon as you get home. The month's food guidance is in our guide to Karthika Masam food rules, and ideas for the table in Karthika fasting recipes for NRIs.

Karthika Pournami 2026 city by city

The Purnima tithi begins and ends at the same instant everywhere; what changes from city to city is the clock time and whether the tithi covers your sunset. Here are the exact times for 12 US cities (local standard time).

Monday 23 or Tuesday 24 November? The evening-lamp question

In every US city, Purnima begins between late morning and early afternoon on Monday 23 November, hours before sunset, and ends on the morning of Tuesday 24 November. So the only evening of the month when the full-moon tithi is current at dusk is Monday 23 November. Drik Panchang also marks Karthigai Deepam on Monday 23 November for the USA, because Krittika nakshatra is current at sunset that evening. That makes Monday 23 November the natural evening for the Karthika Pournami deepam, the 365-wick lamp and the Jwala Thoranam, and it is also the third Karthika Somavaram, a doubly sacred evening.

Kartika Purnima as a calendar date, the day of the sunrise holy bath, daanam, Satyanarayana vratam and the Purnima vrat, is listed by Drik Panchang for the USA on Tuesday 24 November. Note how early the tithi ends that morning: 9:53 AM Eastern, 8:53 AM Central, 7:53 AM Mountain and Arizona, and 6:53 AM Pacific, which is around or before sunrise on the West Coast. If you want to do the snanam and daanam within Purnima on the 24th, do them early.

India keeps both Karthigai Deepam and Kartika Purnima on Tuesday 24 November, so many American temples will hold their main Deepotsavam that evening. If your temple lights on Tuesday, join them; at home by the local tithi, Monday evening is correct. Please do not use India's Purnima times (11:42 PM IST Monday to 8:23 PM IST Tuesday) for an American evening.

365 wicks, Jwala Thoranam and deepa daanam

• 365 vattulu: a lamp of 365 cotton wicks, one for each day of the year, is lit on Karthika Pournami so that the merit of a full year's daily lamp is received. See our guide to the 365-wick oil deepam.
• Jwala Thoranam: at Shiva temples in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana a burning arch of straw is raised on Pournami night and the deity is carried beneath it. Some temples abroad keep a simplified form; ask yours.
• Deepa daanam: offering a lamp (and, traditionally, the vessel and ghee) to a temple, a priest or a needy person is one of the month's great acts of merit. More in Karthika snanam and deepa daanam 2026.

Not on the list? The tithi times are the same across your time zone; only sunset shifts by minutes. More in Karthika Pournami 2026.

Nagula Chavithi, Ksheerabdi Dwadasi, Karthigai Deepam and Masik Shivaratri

Nagula Chavithi — Thursday 12 November

On Nagula Chavithi, Telugu families worship the Naga devatas for the protection and health of the children of the house, offering milk, chalimidi, chimmili and flowers at an anthill (putta). Abroad, most families worship a Naga image at home or join the temple puja. In the USA the date is Thursday 12 November, a day before India's Friday 13 November. See Nagula Chavithi and Karthika Deepam.

Devutthana Ekadashi and Ksheerabdi Dwadasi — 20 and 21 November

Lord Vishnu wakes from His four-month yoga nidra on Devutthana (Uttana or Prabodhini) Ekadashi, Friday 20 November. The next day, Saturday 21 November, is Ksheerabdi Dwadasi, when Telugu households worship Tulasi together with a sprig of amla (usirika) representing Vishnu, and North Indian families celebrate Tulasi Vivah. Sunday 22 November is Vaikuntha Chaturdashi, the day Hari and Hara are worshipped together. See Karthika Ekadashi (Prabodhini) 2026.

Karthigai Deepam (Tamil) — Monday 23 November in the USA

Tamil families celebrate Karthigai Deepam when Krittika nakshatra meets the full-moon period in the solar month of Karthigai, recalling the column of light at Tiruvannamalai. In the US calendar this falls on Monday 23 November; in India it is Tuesday 24 November. See Karthigai Deepam 2026.

Masik Shivaratri — Sunday 6 December

The month's Shivaratri, kept on the Krishna Chaturdashi current at midnight, is Sunday 6 December in the USA (India: Monday 7 December). It precedes the final Somavaram (7 December) and Karthika Amavasya (Tuesday 8 December). See Karthika Amavasya 2026.

Daily Karthika practices abroad

• Karthika snanam: the tradition is a bath before sunrise, ideally in a river. In an American November, a pre-dawn shower with a few drops of Ganga jal or tulasi water, while chanting the names of the holy rivers, keeps the spirit of the practice. Do not attempt cold outdoor bathing in freezing weather.
• The daily deepam: light a lamp at dusk every day of the month, before Tulasi if you have a plant, and at the threshold. With sunsets in the mid-to-late afternoon, many working devotees light a small lamp at home as soon as they return, or ask a family member to light it on time.
• Fire safety first: keep a working smoke alarm, never leave a lamp unattended, keep it away from curtains, children and pets, and place it on a metal plate. Many apartments, HOAs and dorms forbid open flames on balconies or in common areas; respect the rules, and use a sealed glass lamp indoors or an LED diya outside.
• Cold, dark Novembers: in the northern states a Tulasi plant must come indoors before frost; keep it by a sunny window.
• Daily listening: read a chapter of the Karthika Puranam each evening; our Karthika Mahatmya stories from the Skanda Purana and Karthika Masam mantras are a good start.
• Vana bhojanam: a shared meal under trees (ideally amla trees) is a Karthika custom; in America it often becomes a park picnic on a mild Saturday. See Karthika Vana Bhojanalu 2026.

For a complete daily routine, read how to perform Karthika Masam vratham at home.

Telugu (amanta) and North Indian (purnimanta) Kartik in brief

This guide follows the amanta calendar used in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat, where Karthika runs from the day after Diwali's Amavasya to the next Amavasya: in the USA, Monday 9 November to Tuesday 8 December. North Indian families follow the purnimanta calendar, in which Kartik began in late October after the previous full moon and ends at Kartika Purnima on Tuesday 24 November. The bright fortnight is shared, so Prabodhini Ekadashi, Tulasi Vivah, Vaikuntha Chaturdashi and Kartika Purnima fall on the same dates in both; for amanta families the weeks after Pournami are still Karthika.

Temples and community in the USA

Most Hindu temples across the USA mark Karthika with Somavaram Rudrabhishekam, Karthika Deepotsavam on or around Pournami, Tulasi puja on Ksheerabdi Dwadasi and Satyanarayana vratams. Well-known temples such as the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh, the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Livermore, the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago and the BAPS mandirs usually publish their programmes a few weeks ahead. We have not listed timings because this year's schedules are not yet confirmed: check your temple's calendar and note whether it follows the Indian or the American dates. For ideas, see our top Karthika temples in the USA.

Frequently asked questions

When does Karthika Masam 2026 start in the USA?

Karthika Masam (amanta, as followed by Telugu, Kannada and Marathi families) begins on Monday 9 November 2026 in every US time zone, the day after Diwali, and ends with Karthika Amavasya on Tuesday 8 December. In India it begins a day later, on Tuesday 10 November. Many American temples follow the Indian calendar, so check your temple's panchangam.

How many Karthika Somavarams are there in the USA in 2026?

Five: Monday 9 November, 16 November, 23 November, 30 November and 7 December. Because the month begins on Monday 9 November in the USA, the first Monday falls inside Karthika Masam. India has four Somavarams (16, 23, 30 November and 7 December).

When is Karthika Pournami 2026 in the USA?

The Purnima tithi runs from 1:12 PM Eastern on Monday 23 November to 9:53 AM Eastern on Tuesday 24 November (12:12 PM to 8:53 AM Central, 11:12 AM to 7:53 AM Mountain and Arizona, 10:12 AM to 6:53 AM Pacific). The full moon is current at sunset only on Monday 23 November, so that evening is the natural time for the Pournami deepam; Drik Panchang lists Kartika Purnima itself on Tuesday 24 November.

Should I light the Karthika Pournami deepam on 23 or 24 November in the USA?

By the tithi, the evening of Monday 23 November: Purnima has already begun before sunset in every US city and has ended by sunset on Tuesday. Drik Panchang also marks Karthigai Deepam on Monday 23 November for the USA. If your temple keeps the Indian date, Tuesday 24 November, follow your temple; devotion matters more than the calendar quarrel.

When is Nagula Chavithi 2026 in the USA?

Nagula Chavithi is on Thursday 12 November 2026 in the USA, when Chaturthi prevails at midday. In India it is on Friday 13 November.

Related guides

• Karthika Masam 2026 — the complete guide
• Karthika Masam 2026 USA: all US time zones
• Karthika Pournami 2026 USA city-wise celebrations
• Karthika Monday rituals for Hindus in the USA
• Karthika Masam 2026 Canada: dates, Somavarams and Pournami city by city
• Karthika Masam 2026 UK: dates, Somavarams and Pournami city by city
• Karthika Masam 2026 Australia: dates, Somavarams and Pournami city by city
• Karthika Masam 2026 Dubai and UAE guide
• Diwali 2026 USA: Lakshmi Puja muhurat city by city
• November 2026 Hindu festivals calendar