Tamil Calendar 1956
The Tamil festival calendar. Tamil festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.
February 1956
Shaka Samvat 1877 (Manmatha)
Thai – Maasi
Timings shown for New Delhi (IST) at sunrise - use the city box at the top to change it. Solar months begin by each tradition's own Sankranti rule (same-day, next-day, sunset or aparahna). Era years and lunar month names follow standard Vedic calculations and may differ slightly from regional almanacs around an Adhik Maas.
Tamil Calendar 1956 - festivals and vrats through the year
The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 1956, opening with Thai Pongal on 14 January and closing with Dhanurmasam Begins on 15 December. Of these, 12 are vrats (fasting observances). August is the fullest month with 8 dates. The year runs through Shaka Samvat 1877 – 1878.
January 1956 Margazhi – Thai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan | Sat |
Thai Pongal The Tamil harvest thanksgiving on the Sun's entry into Makara. |
Shukla Pratipada |
| 15 Jan | Sun |
Mattu Pongal The third day of Pongal, when cattle are bathed, decorated and honoured for their role in farming. |
Shukla Dwitiya |
| 18 Jan | Wed | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 27 Jan | Fri |
Thaipusam Devotees of Lord Murugan carry kavadi in penance and thanksgiving on the Pusam star of Thai. |
Shukla Purnima |
February 1956 Thai – Maasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Feb | Fri | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 18 Feb | Sat |
Ratha Saptami Surya's chariot turns north — devotees bathe at dawn and worship the Sun god on Magha Shukla Saptami. |
Shukla Saptami |
| 26 Feb | Sun |
Masi Magam On the Magham star of the Tamil month Maasi, temple deities are taken in procession to the sea and rivers for a holy bath. |
Shukla Purnima |
March 1956 Maasi – Panguni
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Mar | Sat |
Maha Shivaratri
The great night of Lord Shiva. |
Krishna Trayodashi |
| 17 Mar | Sat | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 26 Mar | Mon |
Panguni Uthiram The Uthiram star of Panguni, celebrating the celestial weddings of Murugan-Deivanai and Shiva-Parvati. |
Shukla Purnima |
April 1956 Panguni – Chithirai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr | Fri |
Puthandu (Tamil New Year) The Tamil solar new year begins as the Sun enters Mesha; homes are decorated with kolam and the Maruvilakku. |
Shukla Tritiya |
| 16 Apr | Mon | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 25 Apr | Wed |
Chithirai Thiruvizha Madurai's Chithirai festival peaks on the Chitra full moon of the Tamil month Chithirai with the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar. |
Shukla Purnima |
May 1956 Chithirai – Vaikasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May | Tue | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 24 May | Thu |
Vaikasi Visakam The Visakam star of Vaikasi, celebrated as the birth star of Lord Murugan with special temple worship. |
Shukla Purnima |
June 1956 Vaikasi – Aani
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun | Wed | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 16 Jun | Sat |
Ani Thirumanjanam The grand sacred anointing of Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram on the Uttiram (Uttara Phalguni) star of the Tamil month Aani. |
Shukla Navami |
July 1956 Aani – Aadi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jul | Thu | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
August 1956 Aadi – Aavani
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug | Wed |
Aadi Krithigai Lord Murugan is worshipped with lamps and abhishekam on the Krittika star of the Tamil month Aadi. |
Krishna Navami |
| 2 Aug | Thu |
Aadi Perukku On the 18th of Aadi, the swelling of the Cauvery and other rivers is celebrated with prayers to the waters. |
Krishna Dashami |
| 6 Aug | Mon | Aadi Amavasai Vrat | Krishna Amavasya |
| 8 Aug | Wed |
Aadi Pooram The birth of Andal (Kodhai) on the Pooram star of Aadi, celebrated grandly at Srivilliputhur. |
Shukla Dwitiya |
| 11 Aug | Sat | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 17 Aug | Fri | Varalakshmi Vratham Vrat | Shukla Ekadashi |
| 21 Aug | Tue |
Avani Avittam (Upakarma) Brahmins renew the sacred thread (Yajur Upakarma) on Shravana Purnima. |
Shukla Purnima |
| 29 Aug | Wed |
Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami) The midnight birth of Lord Krishna. |
Krishna Ashtami |
September 1956 Aavani – Purattasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep | Sat |
Vinayagar Chaturthi The birth of Lord Ganesha on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. |
Shukla Chaturthi |
| 9 Sep | Sun | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
October 1956 Purattasi – Aippasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Oct | Sun |
Ayudha Puja / Saraswati Puja
Tools, instruments and books are placed before Goddess Saraswati and worshipped on Vijayadashami. |
Shukla Dashami |
November 1956 Aippasi – Karthikai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov | Thu |
Deepavali The festival of lights, kept with the Ganga snanam at dawn (Naraka Chaturdashi). |
Krishna Chaturdashi |
| 8 Nov | Thu |
Skanda Sashti (Soorasamharam) Six days of worship of Lord Murugan culminate in Soorasamharam — his victory over the demon Surapadman. |
Shukla Shashthi |
| 18 Nov | Sun |
Karthigai Deepam The Tamil festival of lights on the Krittika star of Karthigai — rows of agal vilakku are lit, and the Maha Deepam blazes atop Tiruvannamalai. |
Shukla Purnima |
December 1956 Karthikai – Margazhi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec | Sat | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 8 Dec | Sat |
Subramanya Shashti Lord Subramanya (Kartikeya) is worshipped at Kukke and beyond on Margashirsha Shukla Shashthi. |
Shukla Shashthi |
| 15 Dec | Sat |
Dhanurmasam Begins The month of dawn Vishnu worship (Tiruppavai / Dhanurmasa) begins as the Sun enters Dhanu. |
Shukla Dwadashi |
Months of the Tamil Calendar in 1956
The Tamil Calendar does not begin its year on 1 January, so each of its months straddles two Gregorian ones. These are the months that ran through 1956, covering Shaka Samvat 1877 – 1878. A month marked part is one the Gregorian year cuts short at its own start or end.
| Month | Begins | Ends | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margazhi part | 1 Jan 1956 | 14 Jan 1956 | 14 |
| Thai | 15 Jan 1956 | 12 Feb 1956 | 29 |
| Maasi | 13 Feb 1956 | 13 Mar 1956 | 30 |
| Panguni | 14 Mar 1956 | 13 Apr 1956 | 31 |
| Chithirai | 14 Apr 1956 | 14 May 1956 | 31 |
| Vaikasi | 15 May 1956 | 14 Jun 1956 | 31 |
| Aani | 15 Jun 1956 | 15 Jul 1956 | 31 |
| Aadi | 16 Jul 1956 | 16 Aug 1956 | 32 |
| Aavani | 17 Aug 1956 | 16 Sep 1956 | 31 |
| Purattasi | 17 Sep 1956 | 16 Oct 1956 | 30 |
| Aippasi | 17 Oct 1956 | 15 Nov 1956 | 30 |
| Karthikai | 16 Nov 1956 | 15 Dec 1956 | 30 |
| Margazhi part | 16 Dec 1956 | 31 Dec 1956 | 16 |
What happened in the sky in 1956
Beyond the dates the Tamil Calendar lists, 1956 brought 4 eclipses - 2 solar and 2 lunar - of which 2 were above the horizon somewhere in India. Thaipusam fell on 27 January, 10 days earlier in the year than in 1955 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.
Eclipses of 1956
| Date (IST) | Eclipse | Tamil date | Seen from India |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 9:01 PM | Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) on Vaikasi Visakam | Vaikasi Purnima | Yes - Sutak observed |
| 9 Jun 2:50 AM | Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Vaikasi Shukla Pratipada | Not visible |
| 18 Nov 12:17 PM | Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) on Karthigai Deepam | Karthikai Purnima | Not visible |
| 2 Dec 1:30 PM | Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Karthikai Amavasya | Yes - Sutak observed |
Sutak Kaal was observed for 2 of these.
Guru and Shani in 1956
| Date | Graha | Sign change |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Mar 4:00 PM | Guru (Jupiter) | Simha → Karka re-entry while retrograde |
| 22 May 9:40 AM | Guru (Jupiter) | Karka → Simha |
| 28 Oct 10:30 PM | Guru (Jupiter) | Simha → Kanya |
Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half.
Related Calculators
Frequently asked questions about the Tamil Calendar 1956
How many festivals and vrats does the Tamil Calendar list in 1956?
The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 1956, of which 12 are vrats. The first is Thai Pongal on Saturday, 14 January 1956, and the last is Dhanurmasam Begins on Saturday, 15 December 1956.
What are the main festival dates in the Tamil Calendar for 1956?
The first major observances of 1956 are:
- Thai Pongal - Saturday, 14 January 1956
- Mattu Pongal - Sunday, 15 January 1956
- Thaipusam - Friday, 27 January 1956
- Ratha Saptami - Saturday, 18 February 1956
- Masi Magam - Sunday, 26 February 1956
- Maha Shivaratri - Saturday, 10 March 1956
Which month of 1956 has the most observances in the Tamil Calendar?
August 1956 is the fullest month with 8 dates, including Aadi Krithigai, Aadi Perukku, Aadi Amavasai, Aadi Pooram, Skanda Shashthi, Varalakshmi Vratham, Avani Avittam (Upakarma), Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami).
Which traditional year does 1956 correspond to in the Tamil Calendar?
The Gregorian year 1956 spans Shaka Samvat 1877 – 1878. 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 1956 have an Adhik Maas?
No. 1956 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 1956?
1956 had 4 eclipses:
- 24 May 1956 - Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
- 9 June 1956 - Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
- 18 November 1956 - Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), not visible from India
- 2 December 1956 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
Sutak Kaal is observed only for an eclipse actually visible where you are, so 2 of these were kept in India.
Did Guru or Shani change sign in 1956?
Yes - 3 sign changes among the slow grahas in 1956:
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Karka on 14 March 1956, moving retrograde
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Simha on 22 May 1956
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Kanya on 28 October 1956
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.
How do I see the tithi and nakshatra for a specific date in 1956?
Use the month grid above: pick a month from the selector, then tap any day to open its full panchang - tithi with start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Set your city in the box at the top first, because these timings are sunrise-based and shift with location. The Tamil Calendar opens on the current month.
About the Tamil Calendar
The Tamil festival calendar. Tamil festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.
Each day lists its tithi and paksha, the nakshatra, the weekday (vaar) and any festivals or vrats. Tap any day to see the full panchang for that date - tithi start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Use the month and year selectors to browse any year in the archive or plan ahead into the coming years.
This calendar names the tithi and festivals for each day. For sunrise, Rahu Kalam and muhurat windows on a chosen date, open the Panchang. Other regional calendars are on the Calendars index. Fast stories live under Vrat Katha.
