Chaitra Navratri Calendar 2020
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 7 dates in 2020, from Navreh on 25 March through Rama Navami on 2 April. March holds the most with 4 dates. The year runs through Vikram Samvat 2076 – 2077. 2020 carries an Adhik Maas (Ashwina (Adhik)), the extra lunar month that pushes several dates later than usual.
March 2020
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Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri
Tithi 2:58 PM, Mar 24 – 5:27 PM, Mar 25
The lunar new year of the Deccan and Maharashtra; the nine nights of Chaitra Navratri begin.
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Navreh
Tithi 2:58 PM, Mar 24 – 5:27 PM, Mar 25
The Kashmiri Pandit new year on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, when the Nechapatra almanac is viewed at dawn.
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Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year)
Tithi 5:27 PM, Mar 25 – 7:54 PM, Mar 26
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.
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Gangaur
Tithi 7:54 PM, Mar 26 – 10:14 PM, Mar 27
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 2020
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Ashokashtami
Tithi 3:50 AM, Apr 1 – 3:59 AM, Apr 2
On Chaitra Shukla Ashtami, Goddess Durga is worshipped and ashoka flower buds are taken to ward off grief.
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Rama Navami
Tithi 3:40 AM, Apr 2 – 3:02 AM, Apr 3
The birth of Lord Rama, celebrated with recitation of the Ramayana and temple processions.
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Basanti Puja
Tithi 3:40 AM, Apr 2 – 3:02 AM, Apr 3
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 2020
Beyond the dates the Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists, 2020 brought 6 eclipses - 2 solar and 4 lunar - of which 4 were above the horizon somewhere in India. The year also carried an Adhik Maas, the extra lunar month of Ashwina, running from 18 September 2020 to 16 October 2020. Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri fell on 25 March, 11 days earlier in the year than in 2019 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.
Eclipses of 2020
| Date (IST) | Eclipse | Hindu date | Seen from India |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 12:40 AM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Pausha Krishna Pratipada | Penumbral only |
| 6 Jun 12:54 AM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Jyeshtha Krishna Pratipada | Penumbral only |
| 21 Jun 12:10 PM | Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Ashadha Amavasya | Yes - Sutak observed |
| 5 Jul 9:59 AM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Ashadha Purnima | Not visible |
| 30 Nov 3:12 PM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Margashirsha Purnima | Penumbral only |
| 14 Dec 9:43 PM | Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Margashirsha 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 2020
| Date | Graha | Sign change |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jan 10:00 AM | Shani (Saturn) | Dhanu → Makara |
| 30 Mar 4:00 AM | Guru (Jupiter) | Dhanu → Makara |
| 30 Jun 5:30 AM | Guru (Jupiter) | Makara → Dhanu re-entry while retrograde |
| 20 Nov 1:30 PM | Guru (Jupiter) | Dhanu → Makara |
Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half. Rahu entered Vrishabha on 23 September 2020, carrying the eclipse axis with it.
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Frequently asked questions about the Chaitra Navratri Calendar 2020
How many festivals and vrats does the Chaitra Navratri Calendar list in 2020?
The Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists 7 dates in 2020. The first is Navreh on Wednesday, 25 March 2020, and the last is Rama Navami on Thursday, 2 April 2020.
What are the main festival dates in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar for 2020?
The first major observances of 2020 are:
- Navreh - Wednesday, 25 March 2020
- Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri - Wednesday, 25 March 2020
- Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year) - Thursday, 26 March 2020
- Gangaur - Friday, 27 March 2020
- Ashokashtami - Wednesday, 1 April 2020
- Basanti Puja - Thursday, 2 April 2020
Which month of 2020 has the most observances in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar?
March 2020 is the fullest month with 4 dates, including Navreh, Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri, Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year), Gangaur.
Which traditional year does 2020 correspond to in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar?
The Gregorian year 2020 spans Vikram Samvat 2076 – 2077. 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 2020 have an Adhik Maas?
Yes. 2020 carried an Adhik Maas (Ashwina (Adhik)), the extra lunar month inserted roughly every third year to keep the lunar calendar in step with the solar one. Festivals falling after it shift later in the Gregorian year, which is why 2020 dates can look out of place beside a neighbouring year.
Were there any eclipses in 2020?
2020 had 6 eclipses:
- 11 January 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
- 6 June 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
- 21 June 2020 - Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
- 5 July 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), not visible from India
- 30 November 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
- 14 December 2020 - 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 2020?
Yes - 4 sign changes among the slow grahas in 2020:
- Shani (Saturn) entered Makara on 24 January 2020
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Makara on 30 March 2020
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Dhanu on 30 June 2020, moving retrograde
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Makara on 20 November 2020
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 2020 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.
