Use this calendar to check Hindu festivals and Vratas for Durban. Festival observance is not based on the civil date alone: sunrise, Tithi, Nakshatra, lunar month, and location can all affect the selected day. The astronomical positions are calculated with Swiss Ephemeris, while the observance rules follow traditional Panchanga practice.
How to use this festival calendar
- Select the place carefully: Sunrise and Tithi boundaries differ by location, so the listed date can change between cities or countries.
- Read the timings: When a Tithi spans two civil dates, the applicable sunrise, midday, moonrise, or Pradosha rule may decide the observance day.
- Respect your tradition: Smarta, Vaishnava, regional, family, and temple traditions may apply different rules. Use the calendar as a detailed reference and follow your established custom where required.
Find Festivals by Month
Select a month and year to see the major festivals and Vratas.
Hindu Festivals & Vratas in December 1983
Festival and vrata dates for Durban in December 1983:
- Guru Pradosham (Kartika Maasa)✓ — Thursday, 1 December 1983.
- Masik Shivaratri (Kartika Maasa)✓ — Friday, 2 December 1983.
- Krishna Trayodashi Upavasa — Friday, 2 December 1983.
- Darsha Shraddha✓ — Saturday, 3 December 1983.
- Solar Eclipse — Partial • Visible locally — Sunday, 4 December 1983.
- Margashirsha Masarambh✓ — Monday, 5 December 1983.
- Masik Vinayaka Chaturthi✓ — Thursday, 8 December 1983.
- Vivah Panchami (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Friday, 9 December 1983.
- Subrahmanya Shashti (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Saturday, 10 December 1983.
- Datta Navaratri Begins (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Saturday, 10 December 1983.
- Champa Shashthi (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Saturday, 10 December 1983.
- Masik Shashti Vratam✓ — Saturday, 10 December 1983.
- Bhanu Saptami✓ — Sunday, 11 December 1983.
- Masik Durgashtami (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Monday, 12 December 1983.
- Dhanu Sankramana (06:15 AM) — Friday, 16 December 1983.
- Gita Jayanti (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Friday, 16 December 1983.
- Sarvesham Mokshada Ekadashi (Margashirsha Shukla)✓ Completed — Friday, 16 December 1983.
- Shani Pradosham (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Saturday, 17 December 1983.
- Shukla Trayodashi Upavasa — Saturday, 17 December 1983.
- Krittika Vratam✓ — Sunday, 18 December 1983.
- Dwatrimshad Vratam (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Monday, 19 December 1983.
- Datta Jayanti (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Monday, 19 December 1983.
- Purnima Vrat✓ — Monday, 19 December 1983.
- Rohini Vratam✓ — Monday, 19 December 1983.
- Satyanarayana Swamy Vratam✓ — Monday, 19 December 1983.
- Sankashti Chaturthi — Thursday, 22 December 1983.
- Guru Pushya Yoga✓ — Thursday, 22 December 1983.
- Kalashtami✓ — Monday, 26 December 1983.
- Smarta Saphala Ekadashi (Margashirsha Krishna)✓ Completed — Thursday, 29 December 1983.
- Vaishnava Saphala Ekadashi (Margashirsha Krishna)✓ Completed — Friday, 30 December 1983.
- Shani Pradosham (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ — Saturday, 31 December 1983.
- Krishna Trayodashi Upavasa — Saturday, 31 December 1983.
- Shani Trayodashi✓ — Saturday, 31 December 1983.
Hindu Festivals and Important Days
December 1983
| 01DecemberThursday | Krishna Dvadashi (till 4:37 PM) 🔔Guru Pradosham (Kartika Maasa)✓ Completed |
| 02DecemberFriday | Krishna Trayodashi (till 3:28 PM) 🔔Masik Shivaratri (Kartika Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Krishna Trayodashi Upavasa — Upavasa: Friday, 02 December 1983 04:51 AM - Saturday, 03 December 1983 04:51 AM✓ Completed — Parana (Breaking the fast): ≥ Saturday, 03 December 1983 04:51 AM |
| 03DecemberSaturday | Krishna Chaturdashi (till 2:43 PM) 🔔Darsha Shraddha✓ Completed |
| 04DecemberSunday | Amavasya (till 2:25 PM) 🔔Solar Eclipse — Partial • Visible locally — Start: 15:28 • End: 16:21 (04 Dec 1983)✓ Completed (Kartika Maasa) |
| 05DecemberMonday | Shukla Pratipada (till 2:39 PM) 🔔Margashirsha Masarambh✓ Completed |
| 08DecemberThursday | Shukla Chaturthi (till 6:37 PM) 🔔Masik Vinayaka Chaturthi✓ Completed |
| 09DecemberFriday | Shukla Panchami (till 8:53 PM) 🔔Vivah Panchami (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed |
| 10DecemberSaturday | Shukla Shashthi (till 11:23 PM) 🔔Subrahmanya Shashti (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Datta Navaratri Begins (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Champa Shashthi (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Masik Shashti Vratam✓ Completed |
| 11DecemberSunday | Shukla Saptami (till (12th) 1:56 AM) 🔔Bhanu Saptami✓ Completed |
| 12DecemberMonday | Shukla Ashtami (till (13th) 4:17 AM) 🔔Masik Durgashtami (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed |
| 16DecemberFriday | Shukla Ekadashi (till 8:16 AM) 🔔Dhanu Sankramana (06:15 AM) — Punyakala: 06:15 AM - 12:39 PM✓ Completed 🔔Gita Jayanti (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Sarvesham Mokshada Ekadashi (Margashirsha Shukla)✓ Completed — Parana (Breaking the fast): Saturday, 17 December 1983 04:54 AM - 05:43 AM✓ Completed |
| 17DecemberSaturday | Shukla Dvadashi (till 8:12 AM) 🔔Shani Pradosham (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Shukla Trayodashi Upavasa — Upavasa: Saturday, 17 December 1983 04:54 AM - Sunday, 18 December 1983 07:25 AM✓ Completed — Parana (Breaking the fast): ≥ Sunday, 18 December 1983 07:25 AM |
| 18DecemberSunday | Shukla Trayodashi (till 7:25 AM) 🔔Krittika Vratam✓ Completed |
| 19DecemberMonday | Shukla Chaturdashi (till 5:59 AM) 🔔Dwatrimshad Vratam (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Datta Jayanti (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Purnima Vrat✓ Completed 🔔Rohini Vratam✓ Completed 🔔Satyanarayana Swamy Vratam✓ Completed |
| 22DecemberThursday | Krishna Tritiya (till 8:05 PM) 🔔Sankashti Chaturthi — Moonrise: 09:14 PM✓ Completed 🔔Guru Pushya Yoga✓ Completed |
| 26DecemberMonday | Krishna Saptami (till 9:50 AM) 🔔Kalashtami✓ Completed |
| 29DecemberThursday | Krishna Dashami (till 5:37 AM) 🔔Smarta Saphala Ekadashi (Margashirsha Krishna)✓ Completed — Parana (Breaking the fast): Friday, 30 December 1983 11:04 AM - 11:19 AM✓ Completed |
| 30DecemberFriday | Krishna Ekadashi (till 5:05 AM) 🔔Vaishnava Saphala Ekadashi (Margashirsha Krishna)✓ Completed — Parana (Breaking the fast): Saturday, 31 December 1983 05:01 AM - 05:16 AM✓ Completed |
| 31DecemberSaturday | Krishna Trayodashi (till (1st) 5:20 AM) 🔔Shani Pradosham (Margashirsha Maasa)✓ Completed 🔔Krishna Trayodashi Upavasa — Upavasa: Saturday, 31 December 1983 05:01 AM - Sunday, 01 January 1984 05:20 AM✓ Completed — Parana (Breaking the fast): ≥ Sunday, 01 January 1984 05:20 AM 🔔Shani Trayodashi✓ Completed |
This calendar of festivals and important days has been prepared based on the rules given in Hindu scriptures like Nirnaya Sindhu, Dharma Sindhu, etc. It has been created for the benefit of all followers of Hinduism worldwide. If you find any mistake in this calendar regarding any festival or any important day, or if any festival related to your region is not included, please inform me by emailing admin@onlinejyotish.com. Thank you for your cooperation.
Glossary: Understanding Hindu Calendar Terms
These terms help explain why a festival date may differ from a printed calendar or a nearby temple:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Tithi | A lunar day. It is the time taken by the Moon to move 12 degrees away from the Sun. |
| Nakshatra | One of the 27 divisions along the Moon’s path. Some festivals and Vratas require a particular Nakshatra. |
| Purnimant / Amavasyant | Purnimant months end on Full Moon (North India). Amavasyant months end on No Moon (South India). |
| Smarta vs Vaishnava | Smarta and Vaishnava observances can fall on different dates because their sunrise and Tithi-purity rules are not identical. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Festival dates depend on location, sunrise, the duration of the Tithi, and the rule used for that observance. A temple may also follow a regional Panchanga, a traditional school, or its own established custom. A different date does not automatically mean that either calendar is wrong.
Smarta and Vaishnava traditions apply different sunrise and Dashami-overlap rules. This can place the fast on consecutive dates. Follow the tradition observed by your family, Guru, or temple.
An eclipse can affect worship, fasting, temple schedules, and Sutak observance. The effect depends on visibility at the selected location and on the tradition being followed, so local guidance may still be necessary.
How the dates are prepared: Astronomical positions are calculated with Swiss Ephemeris. Festival-selection rules are maintained from traditional Panchanga references under the guidance of Sri Santhosh Kumar Sharma. Regional and sectarian practice can still differ.
City · Year
Durban
1983 · December
Africa/Johannesburg
