Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area
Naraka Chaturdashi
Dates for the Bay Area
- Saturday, 7 November 2026Major festivalnext
- Wednesday, 27 October 2027Major festival
- Monday, 16 October 2028Major festival
Why it matters
Kṛṣṇa caturdaśī before the new moon commemorates Kṛṣṇa's defeat of Narakāsura. Much of North India treats it as Choṭī Dīvālī, the eve of the main night. In Tamil Nadu this pre-dawn morning is itself Deepavali, and its central rite is an oil bath taken before sunrise.
Where it falls
The second of the five Dīpāvali days in North India, between Dhanteras and the new-moon Lakṣmī Pūjā; in Tamil Nadu it is the principal Deepavali day, and in Bengal it is the eve of Kālī Pūjā.
The story behind it
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells how Naraka, son of the Earth goddess, seized Aditi's earrings and held thousands of women captive; Kṛṣṇa, riding Garuḍa with Satyabhāmā, killed him and freed them. South Indian tellings give Satyabhāmā a central role. In Goa the slaying is re-enacted by burning large effigies of Narakāsura in the early morning.
Prayers and worship
Many families light a lamp for Yama on this evening and remember their ancestors. In Gujarat and Rajasthan the day is called Kāḷī Caudas. In Bengal it is Bhūt Caturdaśī: fourteen lamps are set around the home to guide ancestors and keep harmful spirits away.
How families keep it
The defining household custom in South and West India is abhyaṅga snāna, an oil massage followed by a bath before sunrise, often with herbal powders, and then new clothes. Tamil tradition holds that this bath carries the sanctity of a bath in the Gaṅgā. In parts of North India the day is also called Rūp Caudas.
What is typically offered
Tamil households prepare a wide array of Deepavali sweets and savouries to share with relatives and neighbours. In Bengal families cook and eat choddo śāk, a dish of fourteen greens, on Bhūt Caturdaśī.
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 (12)
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.
- Naraka Chaturdashi — Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Naraka Chaturdashi — Wikipedia
- Diwali — Wikipedia
- Deepavali — Tamil Nadu Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu
- From oil baths to sweets and fireworks: Celebrating Deepavali the South Indian way (Janani Karthik, Oct 2024) — SBS (Special Broadcasting Service, Australia)
- The lighting of 14 lamps, eating choddo shaak and more: Bhoot Chaturdashi — My Kolkata (The Telegraph India group)
- Kali Puja tonight (12 Nov 2023) — BSS (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha) via The Financial Express, Dhaka
- Srimad Bhagavatam 10.59: The Killing of the Demon Naraka (chapter summary) — Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
- Diwali ritual of Narkasur in Goa — Herald Goa
- Festive season: from Dhanteras to Diwali, Bhai Dooj - everything you need to know (19 Oct 2022) — ThePrint (ANI wire)
- Goans burn Narakasur effigies to celebrate Diwali — Deccan Herald
- Festivals: Diwali (April 2010) — Hinduism Today
Request this pooja
Ask Sri Kumar Gurukkal about a pooja for Naraka Chaturdashi — at your home, at a temple, or with family joining remotely. A request is an enquiry, not a booking.
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Subscribe to the festival calendar Share on WhatsAppThe 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 a rule a cited source establishes: Āśvina kṛṣṇa caturdaśī (amānta; Kārttika kṛṣṇa caturdaśī in the pūrṇimānta reckoning — the same day), judged at moonrise, when it falls before dawn. 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 →