Chaitra Navratri Calendar

Chaitra Navratri Calendar 2017

The Chaitra (spring) Navratri festival calendar - the nine nights from Gudi Padwa / Ugadi to Rama Navami, with the tithi for each day.

The Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists 6 dates in 2017, from Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri on 28 March through Rama Navami on 4 April. The year runs through Vikram Samvat 2073 – 2074.

March 2017

  • Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri

    Tuesday, 28 March 2017 Krishna Amavasya

    Tithi 10:56 AM, Mar 27 8:27 AM, Mar 28

    The lunar new year of the Deccan and Maharashtra; the nine nights of Chaitra Navratri begin.

  • Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year)

    Wednesday, 29 March 2017 Shukla Dwitiya

    Tithi 5:44 AM, Mar 29 2:52 AM, Mar 30

    On Chaitra Shukla Dwitiya, the day after Gudi Padwa, Sindhis welcome the new year and the birth (Avataran) of their patron saint Jhulelal — Uderolal, the incarnation of Varun the water god — with Behrana Sahib processions to a river or lake.

  • Gangaur

    Thursday, 30 March 2017 Shukla Tritiya

    Tithi 2:47 AM, Mar 30 11:43 PM, Mar 30

    The climax of an eighteen-day Rajasthani festival to Gauri (Parvati) on Chaitra Shukla Tritiya; married women pray for their husbands and unmarried girls for a good groom, with grand processions of Gauri and Isar (Shiva) idols in Jaipur and Udaipur.

April 2017

  • Ashokashtami

    Tuesday, 4 April 2017 Shukla Ashtami

    Tithi 12:57 PM, Apr 3 11:19 AM, Apr 4

    On Chaitra Shukla Ashtami, Goddess Durga is worshipped and ashoka flower buds are taken to ward off grief.

  • Rama Navami

    Tuesday, 4 April 2017 Shukla Ashtami

    Tithi 12:57 PM, Apr 3 11:19 AM, Apr 4

    The birth of Lord Rama, celebrated with recitation of the Ramayana and temple processions.

  • Basanti Puja

    Tuesday, 4 April 2017 Shukla Ashtami

    Tithi 12:57 PM, Apr 3 11:19 AM, Apr 4

    The springtime Durga Puja of Chaitra — the original worship of Durga — culminating on Maha Navami.

Tithi start and end times are shown in your local time. Festival dates follow the standard Indian (sunrise) calendar and may vary by a day in other regions, and may differ slightly from regional almanacs (especially around an Adhik Maas).

What happened in the sky in 2017

Beyond the dates the Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists, 2017 brought 4 eclipses - 2 solar and 2 lunar - of which 2 were above the horizon somewhere in India. Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri fell on 28 March, 12 days earlier in the year than in 2016 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.

Eclipses of 2017

Date (IST) Eclipse Hindu date Seen from India
11 Feb 6:13 AM Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) Magha Krishna Pratipada Penumbral only
26 Feb 8:23 PM Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Phalguna Amavasya Not visible
7 Aug 11:50 PM Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) Shravana Purnima Yes - Sutak observed
21 Aug 11:55 PM Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Bhadrapada Amavasya Not visible

Sutak Kaal was observed for 1 of these. A penumbral (Upachhaya) eclipse is not counted as a grahan.

Guru and Shani in 2017

Date Graha Sign change
26 Jan 7:40 PM Shani (Saturn) Vrishchika → Dhanu
21 Jun 4:40 AM Shani (Saturn) Dhanu → Vrishchika re-entry while retrograde
12 Sep 7:00 AM Guru (Jupiter) Kanya → Tula
26 Oct 3:30 PM Shani (Saturn) Vrishchika → Dhanu

Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half. Rahu entered Karka on 18 August 2017, carrying the eclipse axis with it.

Frequently asked questions about the Chaitra Navratri Calendar 2017

How many festivals and vrats does the Chaitra Navratri Calendar list in 2017?

The Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists 6 dates in 2017. The first is Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri on Tuesday, 28 March 2017, and the last is Rama Navami on Tuesday, 4 April 2017.

What are the main festival dates in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar for 2017?

The first major observances of 2017 are:

  • Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri - Tuesday, 28 March 2017
  • Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year) - Wednesday, 29 March 2017
  • Gangaur - Thursday, 30 March 2017
  • Ashokashtami - Tuesday, 4 April 2017
  • Basanti Puja - Tuesday, 4 April 2017
  • Rama Navami - Tuesday, 4 April 2017
Which traditional year does 2017 correspond to in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar?

The Gregorian year 2017 spans Vikram Samvat 2073 – 2074. The traditional year does not begin on 1 January, so one Gregorian year usually covers the end of one era year and the start of the next.

Did 2017 have an Adhik Maas?

No. 2017 had twelve lunar months with no Adhik Maas, so its festival dates fall in their usual Gregorian window rather than being pushed later by an intercalary month.

Were there any eclipses in 2017?

2017 had 4 eclipses:

  • 11 February 2017 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
  • 26 February 2017 - Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
  • 7 August 2017 - Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
  • 21 August 2017 - Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India

Sutak Kaal is observed only for an eclipse actually visible where you are, so 1 of these was kept in India.

Did Guru or Shani change sign in 2017?

Yes - 4 sign changes among the slow grahas in 2017:

  • Shani (Saturn) entered Dhanu on 26 January 2017
  • Shani (Saturn) entered Vrishchika on 21 June 2017, moving retrograde
  • Guru (Jupiter) entered Tula on 12 September 2017
  • Shani (Saturn) entered Dhanu on 26 October 2017

Jupiter takes about a year to cross one sign and Saturn about two and a half, so these transits colour the whole year rather than a single week.

Are these 2017 dates the same everywhere?

The dates follow the standard Indian sunrise-based calendar. Because a tithi begins and ends at a fixed moment rather than at midnight, an observance can fall a day earlier or later where sunrise differs - most noticeably outside India. Set your city in the box at the top to see the start and end times in your own local time, and check the daily Panchang for the exact window on the day.

About the Chaitra Navratri Calendar

The Chaitra (spring) Navratri festival calendar - the nine nights from Gudi Padwa / Ugadi to Rama Navami, with the tithi for each day.

Each entry lists the festival or vrat with its date, the prevailing tithi, and a short note on the observance. Use the year links to plan ahead into the coming years or to look up a date from the archive.

This list is the festival dates, not the daily five limbs. For sunrise, Rahu Kalam and the day's yoga, open the Panchang. Other calendars are on the Calendars index. The story of a fast is under Vrat Katha.

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