Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026: Date, Gurpurab Rituals and Why the Date Moves Each Year

Quick answer: Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026 falls on Tuesday, 24 November 2026. It is the 557th Prakash Purab (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru, and it is a gazetted holiday for central government offices, listed as "Guru Nanak's Birthday".

The date changes every year because the Gurpurab is fixed to Kartik Purnima, the full moon of the lunar month of Kartik, not to a date on the English calendar. In 2025 it fell on 5 November; in 2026 it is 19 days later because the Hindu lunar calendar added an extra month this year.

Guru Nanak Jayanti dates: 2022 to 2027

The 2027 date follows the full moon of Kartik that year. Treat it as expected until the central government's 2027 holiday list and the SGPC calendar for that year confirm it.

Also read: Ram Navami 2027: Date, Rituals and How India Celebrates

Why the date moves every year

It follows the moon, not the sun

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan's Punjab province. The Sikh tradition followed in India marks his birth on the full moon of Kartik (Kartik Puranmashi). A lunar month runs from one full moon to the next, about 29.5 days, so twelve lunar months add up to roughly 354 days, about 11 days short of a solar year.

That gap is why the festival usually arrives about 11 days earlier than it did the year before: 27 November in 2023, 15 November in 2024, 5 November in 2025.

Why 2026 jumps forward

To stop the festival drifting through the seasons, the Indian lunisolar calendar corrects this by adding an extra month, called Adhik Maas, roughly once every two and a half to three years. 2026 had one (an extra Jyeshtha in the summer), so Kartik, and with it Kartik Purnima, came a month later than it otherwise would have. The result: the Gurpurab moved from 5 November in 2025 to 24 November in 2026, and should step back about 11 days to mid-November in 2027.

How the exact day is chosen

A tithi (lunar day) does not line up with midnight-to-midnight days. The festival is kept on the day when the Purnima tithi is running at sunrise in India, which in 2026 is 24 November.

Nanakshahi vs the traditional calendar

Sikhs also use the Nanakshahi calendar, but in India it doesn't change the date of this Gurpurab. Here's why.

• Traditional (Bikrami) calendar: the lunisolar calendar long used in Punjab. Gurpurabs fall on lunar dates, so they move on the English calendar.

• Original Nanakshahi calendar (2003): designed by Pal Singh Purewal and adopted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2003. It is a solar calendar that fixes most Gurpurabs to the same Common Era date each year (for example, the Sikh new year on 14 March). Guru Nanak's birthday was one of a few days left on the lunar calendar, so it kept moving with Kartik Purnima.

• Amended calendar used by the SGPC today: after objections from sections of the community, the SGPC amended the calendar in 2010 and later returned most dates to the traditional lunar reckoning. The SGPC and Akal Takht still issue a yearly "Nanakshahi" calendar on this basis (the one for Nanakshahi year 558 was released in March 2026). Some Sikh bodies, especially abroad, reject the amendments and follow a fully solar "Mool" (original) Nanakshahi calendar. A 2017 conference of these groups in Chicago fixed Guru Nanak's Prakash Purab on 14 April (1 Vaisakh), and some gurdwaras, mostly outside India, now celebrate it on Vaisakhi.

So the SGPC, both in its 2003 calendar and in the amended one it uses today, keeps Guru Nanak's Prakash Purab on Kartik Purnima, and that is the date observed across India. Only groups following the Mool Nanakshahi calendar mark it on 14 April.

The Vaisakh question

Some early accounts of Guru Nanak's life, notably the Puratan Janamsakhi, place his birth in the month of Vaisakh (April 1469), a date many historians favour; the Mool Nanakshahi calendar, followed by some Sikh bodies mostly outside India, marks it on 14 April. The Bhai Bala Janamsakhi gives Kartik Purnima. Whatever the historical debate, Sikh institutions in India, including the SGPC, celebrate the Prakash Purab on Kartik Puranmashi, and that is the date the government holiday follows.

How the Gurpurab is celebrated: the sequence

The celebration is not a single day. In most gurdwaras in India it runs in this order:

1. Prabhat Pheris (weeks before): early-morning processions in which the sangat (congregation) walks through the neighbourhood singing shabads (hymns). Many gurdwaras start them at the beginning of the month of Kartik and continue daily until the Gurpurab.

2. Akhand Path (starting two days before): a continuous, uninterrupted reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib by a relay of readers, which takes about 48 hours. It is timed so that the bhog (completion) falls on the morning of the Gurpurab.

3. Nagar Kirtan (usually the day before): a large procession led by the Panj Pyare (five Sikhs representing the first five initiated by Guru Gobind Singh), with the Guru Granth Sahib carried in a decorated palki. Kirtan groups and gatka (Sikh martial art) teams follow.

4. The Gurpurab day: the day begins in the early hours (amrit vela) with Asa di Var kirtan, followed by the bhog of the Akhand Path, katha (talks on Guru Nanak's life and teachings), more kirtan and the Ardas (prayer). Karah Prasad is distributed. Gurdwaras are lit up in the evening, and many hold kirtan late into the night.

5. Langar, throughout: the free community kitchen runs all day. Everyone sits together in rows (pangat) on the floor and is served the same simple vegetarian meal, whatever their religion, caste or status, an idea that goes back to Guru Nanak himself. Volunteers do the work as sewa (selfless service).

The central ideas you will hear in the katha are Guru Nanak's three principles: Naam japna (remembering God), kirat karni (earning an honest living) and vand chhakna (sharing with others).

Also read: Chaitra Navratri 2027: Dates, Rituals and Fasting Rules

Visiting a gurdwara on Gurpurab

Anyone can visit, Sikh or not. A few things to know:

• Cover your head (a scarf or handkerchief is fine; most gurdwaras keep spares), remove your shoes and wash your hands and feet at the entrance.

• Expect crowds. Big gurdwaras such as Sri Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) in Amritsar, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and Sis Ganj Sahib in Delhi, and Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district, where Guru Nanak lived for many years, are very busy on the day. Going early in the morning or late at night is easier.

Every year the SGPC also sends a jatha (group) of Indian pilgrims to Gurdwara Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan for the Gurpurab, under the India–Pakistan protocol on visits to religious shrines. Travel arrangements depend on the situation between the two countries each year, so check the SGPC's announcements on sgpc.net before planning.

Is 24 November 2026 a holiday?

Yes. "Guru Nanak's Birthday" is on the central government's list of gazetted holidays for 2026, issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), so central government offices are closed on Tuesday, 24 November. Many states and union territories, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh, also declare a holiday, though several southern and north-eastern states do not. Banks close in many states under the Negotiable Instruments Act, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal. Schools follow their state's list.

Sikhs also mark Bandi Chhor Divas on the same day as Diwali; you can read about the other traditions of that day in our guide to why Diwali is celebrated. For the food traditions of Punjab beyond the langar, see Punjabi cuisine: flavours, traditions and heritage.

Frequently asked questions

When is Guru Nanak Jayanti in 2026?

Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026 is on Tuesday, 24 November 2026, the day of Kartik Purnima. It is the 557th Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Why is Guru Nanak Jayanti on a different date every year?

It is fixed to the full moon of the lunar month of Kartik. Because twelve lunar months are about 11 days shorter than a solar year, the date usually moves about 11 days earlier each year and jumps later when the lunar calendar adds an extra month, as it did in 2026.

Is Guru Nanak Jayanti a national holiday?

It is a gazetted holiday for central government offices across India, and many states also declare a public holiday. Banks in many states are closed, but check your state's list, as holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act vary by state.

What is the difference between Gurpurab and Prakash Purab?

A Gurpurab is any festival connected with a Sikh Guru, such as a birth anniversary or martyrdom day. Prakash Purab (or Prakash Utsav) means a Guru's birth anniversary, so Guru Nanak Jayanti is both a Gurpurab and the Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

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