Purnima, the full Moon day, is among the most widely kept monthly observances in the Hindu calendar. The vrat is addressed to Vishnu and Lakshmi and, in the evening, to the Moon (Chandra). Many families bathe in a river, give to the needy and read the Satyanarayan katha. Several of the twelve Purnimas have their own character, and some have festival pages of their own.
Timing
Purnima begins and ends at one instant everywhere, but the day on which the vrat is kept depends on the tithi at sunrise or moonrise in your city, and the moonrise itself is local. The Purnima page lists every full Moon in two years for five cities, and links to the 49 city pages, among them New Delhi, New York and London. Use the any-city tool for other places. Dates are not given here.
Samagri: what to gather
| Item | Use |
|---|---|
| Picture of Vishnu or Satyanarayan, and of Lakshmi | The focus of worship |
| Tulsi, yellow flowers, sandal, rice | Worship |
| Rice kheer or milk sweet | The usual offering to the Moon |
| A lamp with ghee, incense, camphor | Worship and aarti |
| Fruit and water | Naivedya and fast |
| A vessel with water, rice and a flower | Arghya for the Moon |
| A white cloth, in some families | Placed on the altar |
Steps in order
- Bathe in the morning, if possible in a river or with a few drops of river water in your bath, and take the sankalp.
- Keep the fast through the day with fruit and milk, or one meal, as your family does.
- In the evening, set up the altar and worship Vishnu and Lakshmi with flowers, tulsi and a lamp.
- Read or hear the Satyanarayan katha (see the Satyanarayan puja page) or the Purnima katha of the month.
- Sing the aarti, for example Om Jai Jagdish Hare.
- When the Moon has risen, offer arghya with water, rice and a flower, and place a bowl of kheer under the moonlight if your family does so.
- Break the fast with the prasad, and give something to a person in need.
The katha
A katha told in Gujarat, Rajasthan and the north concerns a moneylender who had two daughters. Both kept the Purnima fast, but the elder completed it fully, and the younger left it half done. When the younger daughter married and had children, each baby died soon after birth. She sought out learned people, who told her that her incomplete vows were the cause, and that if she kept the fast fully, things might turn.
She kept the vrat with care. When her next child was born and died, she laid the baby on a bed, covered it with a cloth and invited her elder sister to sit down. As the sister’s garment touched the cloth, the baby cried. The elder sister said she had nearly caused a great sorrow by sitting there, and the younger answered that it was her sister’s vow that had revived him. From then on, the story says, the vrat was kept faithfully in the town. It is told as a lesson in keeping a vow wholeheartedly, and it is a folk story, not a claim about outcomes.
The named Purnimas
Guru Purnima in Ashadha honours teachers (see the Guru Purnima puja and the festival page). Sharad Purnima in Ashwina is the night of the harvest Moon, and kheer is left in its light. Kartik Purnima is a day of river bathing and lamps. Holi falls on Phalguna Purnima, and Vat Purnima, Buddha Purnima and others are kept in their months.
Regional variations
Customs differ by region and family; follow your family’s custom. In Gujarat, many families keep the vrat on Purnima for years in a row, with an udyapan (concluding ritual) at the end. In Maharashtra the day is linked with Satyanarayan. In the south, Chitra Pournami and Kartikai Deepam have their own forms.
Fasting and food
The fast is optional and flexible: fruit and milk, one meal, or the evening only. If you are pregnant, diabetic, unwell or on medication, please follow your doctor’s advice. Eat on time if needed, and keep the worship and the charity, which the tradition values alongside the fast.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Is there one Purnima vrat katha?
No. Many families read the Satyanarayan katha. Others read the katha of the particular Purnima, such as Sharad or Kartik, or the folk story told here.
↳ Why is kheer offered to the Moon?
Milk and rice are associated with the Moon in tradition, and on Sharad Purnima kheer is left in moonlight and eaten as prasad. Many families do the same on other Purnimas.
↳ Is Purnima and Poornima the same?
Yes, they are two spellings of the same word for the full Moon day.
↳ What if the full Moon begins late in the evening?
Check your local panchang, which names the day on which to keep the vrat. Our festival page lists the date for 49 cities.