Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area
Gujarati New Year
Dates for the Bay Area
- Monday, 9 November 2026New Yearnext
- Friday, 29 October 2027New Year
- Wednesday, 18 October 2028New Year
Why it matters
Kārtak sud ekam (Kārttika śukla pratipadā) opens the new Vikram Saṃvat year in the Gujarati calendar, an autumn New Year unlike the spring New Year of much of North India. For many business families it also opens the new financial year.
Where it falls
Falls on the same day as Govardhana Pūjā/Annakūṭa and Bali Pratipadā, usually the morning after the Dīpāvali new moon; followed by Bhāi Bīj.
The story behind it
Tradition ascribes the Vikram Saṃvat era to King Vikramāditya's victory over the Śakas, though historians question the link. Families also recall Kṛṣṇa lifting Govardhana, honoured the same morning, and the story of King Bali and Vāmana attached to this pratipadā.
Prayers and worship
Families visit temples early for darśana and blessings for the year. Swaminarayan and other Vaiṣṇava temples display an Annakūṭa of hundreds of dishes. Merchants worship new account books (copḍā pūjan), some on Diwali night and some on New Year's day.
How families keep it
Rather than a fast, the day is marked by visiting: relatives and friends call on one another with gifts, greetings such as 'Sāl Mubārak' or 'Nūtan Varṣābhinandan' are exchanged, and homes are decorated with rangoli and lights.
What is typically offered
Sweets and festive snacks are prepared and shared with family and friends, and many families take part in a temple Annakūṭa offering, receiving the food afterwards as prasāda.
Visiting a temple that day
Because multiple Deepavali observances may fall on adjacent days, check the temple schedule for the specific pooja being performed. Temple practices vary by region and sampradaya. Dress modestly, remove footwear where required, follow priest/volunteer directions, ask before photography, and check the temple’s event page for exact pooja, fasting and prasādam arrangements.
Sources for this page (9)
The description above is this site’s own, researched from the sources below and written in our words; each section rests on at least two of them. It has not been reviewed by Sri Kumar Gurukkal, and it describes how families commonly keep the day — your family’s tradition comes first.
- Gujarati New Year: A Fresh Start with Festivity and Traditions — Edinburgh Hindu Mandir & Cultural Centre
- New Year around Diwali: Bestu Varas, Jain traditions and more (Vaishnavi Dixit, 27 Oct 2026) — Outlook Publishing (Outlook Traveller)
- Balipratipada — Wikipedia
- Gujarati New Year (3 Nov 2020) — South African Hindu Maha Sabha
- Vikramaditya — Wikipedia
- Hindu New Year / Annakut — BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London (Neasden)
- Diwali — Wikipedia
- Govardhan Puja — Wikipedia
- Happy Diwali — National Geographic Society (Education)
Request this pooja
Ask Sri Kumar Gurukkal about a pooja for Gujarati New Year — at your home, at a temple, or with family joining remotely. A request is an enquiry, not a booking.
Request a pooja Add 9 Nov 2026 to calendarKeep this in your calendar
Subscribe once and every Bay Area festival date appears in your own calendar app.
Subscribe to the festival calendar Share on WhatsAppThe 2026–27 dates were derived for the Fremont / Bay Area location from standard tithi, nakṣatra and solar-ingress rules. The 2028 date is computed by this site’s own engine from the festival’s standard definition, tested against the 2026–27 dates: Kārttika śukla pratipadā, judged at the tithi at sunrise (udaya-vyāpinī). No 2028 date has been checked against a printed almanac or reviewed by Sri Kumar Gurukkal. They can differ from a calendar computed for another city or another sampradāya. Please confirm any date on which you plan a ceremony with Sri Kumar Gurukkal. How these dates are calculated →