Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area

Kali Puja

Why it matters

On the same new-moon night that most of India gives to Lakṣmī, Bengal, Bangladesh and neighbouring eastern regions worship Kālī, here also called Śyāmā, so that Kālī Pūjā (Śyāmā Pūjā) is the eastern form of Dīpāvali night. It is among the major festivals of the Bengali year.

Where it falls

Falls on the Dīpāvali amāvāsyā, the same night as Lakṣmī Pūjā elsewhere; follows Bhūt Caturdaśī (Bengal's Naraka Caturdaśī) and is followed two days later by Bhāi Phõṭā.

The story behind it

Bengali tellings say Kālī sprang from Durgā to defeat demons who had overpowered the gods. When her fury could not be checked, Śiva lay in her path, and she stopped on recognising him, which is why she is shown with a foot on his chest and her tongue out.

Prayers and worship

Worship is held at night, with midnight treated as the most sacred hour, both at home before clay images and in community pandals. Rites range from Brahmanical forms to Tantric worship with mantras. Large crowds gather at Kolkata's Dakṣiṇeśvar and Kālīghāṭ temples.

How families keep it

Rather than a fixed fast, many devotees keep a night vigil, staying awake in worship and meditation until dawn. Community images are later carried to rivers or ponds for immersion, closing the festival.

What is typically offered

Red hibiscus flowers are characteristic, with sweets, rice, lentils and fruit. In Tantric and some temple settings offerings include fish or meat and, at some shrines, animal sacrifice; Brahmanical-style worship leaves out blood offerings.

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.

The 2026–27 dates were compiled from a Northern-California Panchāṅgam reference for the Fremont / Bay Area location. The 2028 date is computed by this site’s own engine from the festival’s standard definition, tested against the 2026–27 dates: Āśvina kṛṣṇa amāvāsyā (amānta; Kārttika kṛṣṇa amāvāsyā in the pūrṇimānta reckoning — the same day), 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 →