Vaisakhi (Baisakhi)
Punjabi New Year and harvest festival on 1 Vaisakh, the Mesha Sankranti; for Sikhs also Khalsa Sajna Divas, the founding of the Khalsa (1699).
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- CategoryFestival
- RegionRegional observance: Punjab, North India
- Defining tithi / momentExact moment:
Timings on Wednesday, 14 April 2027
Rule applied: Regional calendar — Kept on the Hindu day (sunrise to sunrise) that contains the Sankranti moment, as in the Government of India holiday list.
Across India
How this festival is celebrated in different regions, with the regional names and each date's rule.
How the date is determined
- It is the moment the Sun enters sidereal Mesha (Aries).
- It is observed on the Hindu day (sunrise to the next sunrise) that contains the moment, so a Sankranti between midnight and sunrise counts on the previous date (the convention of the Government of India holiday list).
- Sidereal positions use the ayanamsa of your calculation profile; a different ayanamsa can shift the moment by several minutes.
Traditional variation
Many almanacs and Punjabi calendars take the civil date of the Sankranti moment instead, which is a day later when the Sankranti falls between midnight and sunrise (14 instead of 13 April in 2025). Lohri, the eve of 1 Magh, is dated here by the same Hindu-day reckoning of the Makara Sankranti. The original Nanakshahi calendar (2003) fixes Vaisakhi on 14 April; follow the calendar of your gurdwara.
This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.
Rule source: Government of India (DoPT) holiday convention: Vaisakhi on the Hindu day (sunrise to sunrise) that contains the sidereal Mesha ingress, so an ingress between midnight and sunrise counts on the previous civil date (DoPT holiday orders: Vaisakhi 13 April 2024 and 2025, 14 April 2026 and 2027). The Government of Punjab holiday notifications 2021-2026 keep Vaisakhi on the same day, including the pre-dawn ingresses of 14 April 2021 and 2025 (Vaisakhi 13 April). Lohri, the eve of 1 Magh, is dated here by the same Hindu-day reckoning of the Makara ingress (see the Lohri note)
Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.
Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-09-29-a0a4505e · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · Asia/Kolkata
Dates in 2026
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/04/2026 (Tue) | Exact moment: | — | Standard rule applied |
Dates in 2027
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/04/2027 (Wed) Next | Exact moment: | — | Standard rule applied |