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Next: 23 Nov 2026

Karthigai Deepam

The festival of lights of Tamil Nadu: rows of clay lamps, and a great beacon lit on the hill at Tiruvannamalai.

Karthika Deepam: Agal vilakku (oil lamps) lit up during Karthigai Deepam , a festival of lights in Tamil Nadu, India.
Photo: SriniG, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When is Karthigai Deepam in 2026?

Karthigai Deepam 2026 is on Monday, 23 November 2026. Other years: 2027, Saturday, 11 December 2027; 2028, Thursday, 30 November 2028.

About Karthigai Deepam

Karthigai Deepam is held on the full moon day of the Tamil month Karthigai, when the star Krittika is ascendant. Homes, shops and temples are lined with small clay lamps, called agal vilakku, lit at dusk. At Tiruvannamalai, a huge cauldron of ghee with a wick is lit on the summit of Arunachala hill, and the flame can be seen for many kilometres; the day recalls the story of Shiva appearing as an endless pillar of fire. Devotees walk the fourteen kilometre path around the hill on this night. In Kerala a similar occasion is Thrikarthika. Sweet rice flour dumplings and appam are made.

Karthigai Deepam dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

YearKarthigai Deepam date
2026Monday, 23 November 2026
2027Saturday, 11 December 2027
2028Thursday, 30 November 2028

What is eaten

  • adhirasam
  • kozhukattai
  • pori

Traditions of Karthigai Deepam

GirivalamThe circumambulation of the hill by devotees.

Also part of it, and being written: Tiruvannamalai (The temple town beneath the sacred hill.), Arunachala (The hill where the beacon is lit.).

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Karthikai Deepam" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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