Margashirsha Masam 2026 in Australia: Starts Thursday 10 December, Five Lakshmi Thursdays and Festival Dates City by City

Quick answer: Margashirsha Masam 2026 in Australia (Margasira Masam, amanta calendar) begins on Thursday 10 December 2026 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, one day later than India. It ends on Friday 8 January 2027 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra, but on Thursday 7 January 2027 in Perth. The five Margashirsha Thursdays are 10, 17, 24 and 31 December and 7 January in every city.

Margashirsha is the month Krishna calls his own in the Bhagavad Gita ("among months I am Margashirsha"). It holds Gita Jayanti, Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Datta Jayanti, and for Marathi and Telugu families its Thursdays are devoted to Goddess Lakshmi.

About these dates: the Australian dates are computed with HinduTone's sunrise-tithi calculator (Drik Panchang method, validated against Drik Panchang to within 1–2 minutes). Please confirm on Drik Panchang for your city and follow your temple's calendar.

Margashirsha 2026 Australia: start, end and Thursdays by city

Hobart and Darwin are not in our table. Please check Drik Panchang for those cities, especially for the end date, which depends on how far ahead of India your clocks are.

Why Australia starts a day later, and why Perth ends a day earlier

In the amanta calendar used by Telugu, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati families, a lunar month runs from the day after one new moon (Amavasya) to the next new moon. A day belongs to the month whose tithi is running at sunrise in your city. That simple rule explains both Australian differences.

The start: Thursday 10 December, not Wednesday 9. The new moon that closes Karthika ends early on 9 December in India, a little before the Indian sunrise, so India's 9 December is already day one of Margashirsha. Australia's clocks are several hours ahead of India's, so by Australian time that same moment comes after the sun has already risen on Wednesday 9 December. Wednesday's sunrise in Australia therefore still falls in Amavasya, and the first sunrise of the new month is Thursday 10 December.

The end: Perth on Thursday 7 January, the rest on Friday 8 January. The next new moon ends early on Friday 8 January by Indian time, just before sunrise in India. Perth's clocks are only two and a half hours ahead of India's, so in Perth, as in India, that moment comes before Friday's sunrise: Friday is already Pausha, and Perth's Margashirsha ends on Thursday 7 January. In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra the clocks are further ahead, so the moment falls after Friday's sunrise. Friday 8 January still counts as Margashirsha there, and Pausha begins on Saturday 9 January.

The practical effect is small: the Thursdays are the same everywhere, and every festival in the month keeps the same date across Australia. Only the first and last days shift.

The five Margashirsha Thursdays in Australia

• Margashirsha Guruvar Lakshmi vrat (Marathi families): on each Thursday, the women of the house install a kalash representing Mahalakshmi, read the Mahalakshmi vrat katha, offer flowers and a simple sweet, and many keep a fast until the evening puja. The vrat is often closed with an udyapan on the last Thursday. See Margashirsha Guruvar vrat 2026 dates and the complete guide to Thursday Lakshmi puja.
• Margasira Lakshmivara vratam (Telugu families): Thursdays (Lakshmivaram) of Margasira are kept with Lakshmi puja, a lamp, turmeric and kumkum for women guests, and a naivedyam such as pulihora or payasam. See Margasira Masam 2026 and the Lakshmivara vratam and Margasira Lakshmi vratam rituals.

Two of the Thursdays fall on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. If the house is full or you are travelling, a short lamp-and-katha puja in the morning keeps the vrat without clashing with family plans.

Festivals inside Margashirsha 2026 in Australia

These local dates are the same in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, and the same as India.

• Vivah Panchami (Mon 14 Dec): the wedding of Rama and Sita, as commonly told. See Vivah Panchami 2026.
• Champa Shashti / Subrahmanya Shashti (Tue 15 Dec): Khandoba's victory for Maharashtrian families and Murugan worship for Tamil, Telugu and Kannada families. See Subrahmanya Shashti 2026.
• Gita Jayanti and Vaikuntha Ekadashi (Sun 20 Dec): the day of the Gita, and this year also Vaikuntha Ekadashi, since it falls in Dhanurmasam. See Gita Jayanti 2026 in Australia and Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 in Australia.
• Datta Jayanti (Wed 23 Dec): the birth of Lord Dattatreya, also Annapurna Jayanti. See Datta Jayanti 2026 in Australia.
• Saphala Ekadashi (Sun 3 Jan 2027): the "fruitful" Ekadashi of the dark half, on the first Sunday of the new year.

Margashirsha overlaps the solar month of Dhanurmasam, which in Australia has its first dawn on Thursday 17 December. See Dhanurmasam 2026 in Australia.

Purnimanta families count the month differently

North Indian families (Hindi-speaking, Punjabi and many others) follow the purnimanta calendar, in which months end at the full moon. For them the dark half that comes first in their Margashirsha corresponds to the end of Karthika in the amanta calendar, and their Margashirsha ends at the Purnima of Wednesday 23 December; in India, Pausha begins for them on Thursday 24 December. The festivals do not move, only the month name of the dark-half days changes. Saphala Ekadashi, for example, falls in amanta Margashirsha but in purnimanta Pausha.

If you share a home or temple with families from both traditions, the festival dates in this guide still apply. Only the Thursday vrat, which is tied to amanta Margashirsha, belongs to the Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and Gujarati way of counting.

Margashirsha in the Australian summer

• Early mornings: sunrise is around 5 to 6 AM in most cities, and earlier in Brisbane. A Thursday Lakshmi puja before work is easy in the light, mild morning.
• Lamps and bushfire season: keep the Lakshmi lamp indoors on a metal plate and never leave it unattended. On Total Fire Ban days do not light lamps, camphor or havan fires outdoors.
• Food offerings in the heat: prepare naivedyam fresh and share it soon after the puja. Milk sweets should go back in the fridge quickly.
• Summer holidays and travel: schools break up in mid to late December. If you are away for Christmas or New Year, carry a small Lakshmi picture and the vrat katha so the Thursdays continue.
• Temples: many Australian temples hold special pujas through the month. Check your temple's website for its arrangements; we do not list programmes or times.

For every December date in one place, see December 2026 Hindu festivals in Australia.

Frequently asked questions

When does Margashirsha Masam 2026 start in Sydney?

Thursday 10 December 2026. Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra also begin on Thursday 10 December, one day after India, where the month begins on Wednesday 9 December.

Why does Margashirsha start a day later in Australia than in India?

An amanta month starts on the first sunrise after the new moon (Amavasya) ends. In India the new moon ends early on 9 December, just before sunrise, so 9 December is day one. Australian clocks are ahead, so that same moment arrives after the sun has already risen on 9 December in Australia. The first fully new-month sunrise there is Thursday 10 December.

When does Margashirsha 2026 end in Perth?

Thursday 7 January 2027, the same as India, with Pausha beginning on Friday 8 January. In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra the month ends a day later, on Friday 8 January, and Pausha begins on Saturday 9 January.

How many Margashirsha Thursdays are there in 2026 in Australia?

Five: 10 December, 17 December, 24 December, 31 December 2026 and 7 January 2027. They are the same in every Australian city we checked, and the same five Thursdays as in India.

When is the Margashirsha Guruvar vrat in Melbourne?

Every Thursday of the month: 10, 17, 24 and 31 December 2026 and 7 January 2027. Many Marathi families close the vrat with an udyapan on the last Thursday, 7 January; follow your family's custom.

Is Margashirsha the same month for North Indian families?

Not exactly. North Indian (purnimanta) calendars end the month at the full moon, so for them Margashirsha ends at the Purnima of Wednesday 23 December, and in India their Pausha begins on Thursday 24 December. The Thursdays in this guide follow the amanta calendar used by Telugu, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati families.

Editor's note

Editor's note (6 October 2026): This guide has been restored at its original address after the earlier version was lost. The Australian month dates, Thursdays and festival dates are computed with HinduTone's sunrise-tithi calculator (Drik Panchang method, validated to 1–2 minutes). Please confirm on Drik Panchang for your city and follow your temple's calendar. We do not list temple events, programmes or darshan times.

Related guides

• Margashirsha Guruvar vrat 2026 dates
• Margasira Masam 2026 and the Lakshmivara vratam
• December 2026 Hindu festivals in Australia
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 in Australia
• Gita Jayanti 2026 in Australia
• Datta Jayanti 2026 in Australia
• Dhanurmasam 2026 in Australia