Question 1

Why do weddings resume after Devutthana Ekadashi?

Accepted Answer

Because Chaturmas ends there. Vishnu is held to wake from Yoga Nidra on Kartika Shukla Ekadashi, and the four-month pause on Sanskaras lifts with it. Tulsi Vivah, the ceremonial marriage of the Tulsi plant to Shaligram, is performed on the following day and is treated as the season's first wedding — after which the almanacs list Vivah Muhurats again, usually through to mid-December when the Sun enters Sagittarius.

Question 2

Is Diwali in Kartika or Ashwin?

Accepted Answer

Diwali falls on the Amavasya between Ashwin and Kartika. In the Amanta reckoning that New Moon ends Ashwin, so the day is often listed as Ashwin Amavasya, with Kartika beginning the next morning at Govardhan Puja. In the Purnimanta reckoning it falls inside Kartika. Both traditions keep it on the same night; almanacs from different regions simply label the month differently.

Question 3

What is the Akash Deep kept in Kartika?

Accepted Answer

A lamp hoisted on a tall pole or hung high at the house or temple through the whole month, lit at dusk. It is offered for the ancestors and for Vishnu, and traditionally is kept burning from Sharad Purnima to Kartika Purnima. The custom sits alongside Kartik Snan and daily lamp offerings as one of the three acts the Kartika Mahatmya singles out.

Question 4

How long does the month of Kartika last?

Accepted Answer

A lunar month runs about 29.5 days — the time the Moon takes to return to the same phase relative to the Sun. Because that figure is not a whole number of days and the Moon's speed varies, Kartika does not begin at the same clock time each year, and its length can differ by several hours from one year to the next. The begin and end timestamps listed above are computed for your own location rather than quoted from a fixed table.

Question 5

Why do the Amanta and Purnimanta dates for Kartika differ?

Accepted Answer

They are two different conventions for where a month starts. An Amanta month runs New Moon to New Moon and is the standard across South and West India — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. A Purnimanta month runs Full Moon to Full Moon and is standard across North India. The Purnimanta Kartika therefore begins about a fortnight earlier and its dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) comes first, while in the Amanta reckoning the bright fortnight comes first. The two systems agree on which Tithi a given day is; they disagree only on which month to file it under. Use the toggle above to switch between them.

Question 6

Can Kartika occur twice in one year?

Accepted Answer

Yes, though rarely. Twelve lunar months fall about eleven days short of a solar year, so roughly every 32 or 33 months an extra month — Adhika Maas, also called Mala Maas or Purushottama Maas — is inserted to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the seasons. The extra month takes the name of the month that follows it, so an Adhika Kartika is followed by a Nija (true) Kartika. Rites of passage such as weddings, sacred-thread ceremonies and house-warmings are traditionally deferred out of the Adhika month, while recitation, charity and pilgrimage are held to be especially meritorious in it.

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