From Buddha Purnima to Ganga Dussehra, note down the complete list of fasts and festivals in May:

News India Live, Digital Desk: The month of May 2026 is going to be very special from a religious and spiritual point of view. Many major fasts and festivals of Sanatan Dharma will be celebrated in this month. Amidst the scorching heat of Jyeshtha month, big festivals like Buddha Purnima, Shani Jayanti and Ganga Dussehra will infuse coolness and devotion in the lives of the devotees. Besides, ‘Vat Savitri’, the festival of unbroken good fortune for married women, also falls in this month. Let us know the exact dates of major festivals of May 2026.

Major fasts and festivals of May 2026 (Major Festivals List)

The list of main festivals falling in the month of May is given below:

May 1 (Friday): Buddha Purnima / Vaishakh Purnima

4 May (Monday): beginning of jyeshtha month

11 May (Monday): Apara Ekadashi

13 May (Wednesday): Pradosh Vrat (Krishna Paksha)

14 May (Thursday): month shivratri

May 15 (Friday): Shani JayantiVat Savitri Vrat (Amavasya), Jyeshtha Amavasya

16 May (Saturday): Beginning of Jyeshtha Shukla Paksha

21 May (Thursday): Ganga Saptami

24 May (Sunday): Ganga Dussehra

25 May (Monday): Nirjala Ekadashi

27 May (Wednesday): Pradosh Vrat (Shukla Paksha)

31 May (Sunday): Jyeshtha Purnima / Vat Purnima Vrat

Importance of the most important festivals of the month

1. Buddha Purnima (1 May): This day is celebrated as the birth anniversary, attainment of enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha. Since it is Vaishakh Purnima, bathing in holy rivers and donating on this day has special significance.

2. Shani Jayanti and Vat Savitri (15 May): On the day of Jyeshtha Amavasya, the birth anniversary of Shani Dev, the god of justice, will be celebrated. On this day, married women will worship the banyan tree and keep a strict fast of Vat Savitri for the long life of their husbands.

3. Ganga Dussehra (24 May): According to mythological beliefs, Mother Ganga descended on earth on this day. Taking bath in Ganga on this day frees one from ten types of sins.

4. Nirjala Ekadashi (25 May): It is considered the most difficult among all the Ekadashis of the year because fast is observed without drinking water. This fast is a symbol of restraint and penance in the scorching heat of Jyeshtha.