Festival Gifting Calendar for India 2026–27: Dates and Deadlines

Most late gifts are not late because someone forgot the day. They are late because nobody told them a handmade gift has to be ordered two or three weeks before it. This festival gifting calendar for India fixes that: every major gifting occasion from October 2026 to September 2027, with the date and the day to order by.

We make personalised gifts by hand, so the order-by dates here are worked back from how long a made-to-order piece really takes. Save this page. We update it when dates are confirmed and at the start of each season. For each occasion there is a line on what suits it and, where we have written one, a link to a full guide.

How early should you order a festival gift?

Order a made-to-order gift 10 to 12 days ahead in an ordinary week, and three weeks ahead of a major festival. The time goes on three things: a design proof (one to two days), making (three to five working days) and delivery (three to five working days). In festival weeks every maker and courier is busier, so each step takes longer.

The major festivals, for this purpose, are Diwali, Raksha Bandhan and Valentine's Day. Those are the three weeks when couriers run late everywhere in the country. Our guide to choosing a personalised handmade gift explains the steps of a made-to-order purchase in detail.

Festival and gifting dates 2026–27 at a glance

October and November 2026: the festive season

Five occasions in five weeks. If you buy for all of them, plan them together: one order placed in mid-October can cover Karwa Chauth, Diwali and Bhai Dooj.

Navratri and Dussehra: 11 to 20 October 2026

Nine nights of puja, garba and visiting, ending with Dussehra on Tuesday 20 October. Gifts are small: torans, marigold garlands, something for the garba host, and Kanya Pujan gifts for little girls on Ashtami (18 October) or Navami (19 October). Dussehra is counted an auspicious day for new beginnings, so it suits gifts for a new home or vehicle. Read our Navratri gift ideas and the Navratri colours, day by day.

Karwa Chauth: Thursday 29 October 2026

Married women fast from sunrise to moonrise, and the husband's gift comes after the fast is broken. It should be personal, not practical: a keychain with her name, an everlasting bouquet, a frame with a photograph of the two of you. Order about two weeks ahead, which for 2026 meant around Thursday 15 October; if you are later, message us to ask what can be ready. A few panchangs set to the US show Wednesday 28 October, so check yours. See Karwa Chauth gift ideas for your wife. For a first Karwa Chauth, see the first Karwa Chauth gift for a wife. For the husband, see Karwa Chauth gifts a wife can give back. For your mother-in-law, see Karwa Chauth gifts for a mother-in-law.

Dhanteras and Diwali: 6 and 8 November 2026

The largest gifting occasion of the year, covering family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and staff. Order personalised gifts by Sunday 18 October and anything for a team of ten or more by 12 October. We have seven guides: 40 handmade Diwali gift ideas, Diwali corporate gifts under ₹500, Diwali return gifts, decorating your home for Diwali, Dhanteras gift ideas, Diwali gifts for employees and Diwali gifts for household staff.

Bhai Dooj: Wednesday 11 November 2026

Three days after Diwali, sisters apply a tilak and brothers give a gift. Some regions mark it on 10 November. If your sibling lives in another city, send the gift before Diwali week, not after. See Bhai Dooj gifts for brother and sister.

Children's Day: Saturday 14 November 2026

Schools and housing societies give small gifts; so do grandparents. A keychain with the child's name for the school bag, a T-shirt or a craft kit. For a class or a society, one design for everyone, ordered two weeks ahead.

Winter: weddings, Christmas and New Year

Wedding season: November 2026 to February 2027

The muhurat dates cluster in these months, so most families attend several weddings. A gift with the couple's names and the date is kept long after the envelopes are spent: a wall clock, a frame for the wedding photograph, a pair of keychains. Order three weeks before the wedding, and confirm the spelling of both names with the family.

Christmas and Secret Santa: Friday 25 December 2026

In offices and friend groups this means Secret Santa, usually with a limit of ₹300 to ₹1,000. A keychain or a handkerchief with the person's name fits the budget and beats a mug. Offices often do the exchange in the week of 14 to 18 December, so order by Friday 4 December for that. See Secret Santa gift ideas by budget.

New Year: Friday 1 January 2027

Less a gifting day than a visiting one. A wall clock or a desk frame suits it, as do small gifts for a team returning to work. Order by Friday 18 December; couriers slow down in the last week of the year.

Makar Sankranti, Pongal and Lohri: 13 to 15 January 2027

Harvest festivals across the country: Lohri in Punjab on 13 January, Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Makar Sankranti and Uttarayan elsewhere on 14 or 15 January, depending on the region. In Maharashtra, haldi-kumkum gatherings through the month call for small return gifts for guests.

February and March 2027

Valentine's week: 7 to 14 February 2027

Rose Day on Sunday 7 February through to Valentine's Day on Sunday 14 February. This is the second-busiest week of the year for personalised gifts, and the one where the most orders are placed too late. Order by Sunday 24 January. Bouquets that do not wilt, couple keychains and photo frames are what people ask for most. See our Valentine's week gift guide.

Women's Day: Monday 8 March 2027

Mostly an office occasion: one gift for each woman on the team. A mini flower bunch, a keychain with her name or a desk frame. For ten or more, order by Wednesday 17 February.

Holi: Monday 22 March 2027

Holika Dahan is the evening before. Gifts are light: a hamper of gujiya and colours, a custom T-shirt for the group that plays together, return gifts for a Holi party. White T-shirts with a name are the classic, since they will not stay white. See Holi gift ideas and return gifts.

April to September 2027

Mother's Day: Sunday 9 May 2027

The second Sunday of May. Mothers keep what has the family on it: a frame with the children's names, a wall clock for the kitchen, an everlasting bouquet. If she lives in another city, order by Sunday 18 April.

Father's Day: Sunday 20 June 2027

The third Sunday of June. Fathers say they want nothing and then use the gift daily: a keychain, a cap, handkerchiefs with his initials, a desk frame.

Friendship Day: Sunday 1 August 2027

The first Sunday of August. Matching keychains or T-shirts for the group, ordered together so they match. One design with a different name on each is quick to proof.

Raksha Bandhan: Tuesday 17 August 2027

Sisters tie a rakhi, brothers give a gift, and half the country's parcels are in the post the week before. This is the deadline most often missed. Order by Tuesday 27 July, and if the rakhi itself has to travel, post it by the first week of August. See Rakhi gifts for brother and sister.

Teachers' Day: Sunday 5 September 2027

It falls on a Sunday in 2027, so schools will mark it on Friday 3 or Monday 6 September. A class gift works best: one frame or bouquet from everyone, with the class and year on it.

The dates that are not on any calendar

Festivals come with reminders everywhere you look. Birthdays, anniversaries, a housewarming, a farewell or a new baby do not, and these are the days when a personal gift matters most. Put the dates of the eight or ten people closest to you in your phone, with an alert two weeks before each. That alert is your order-by date.

How to plan a year of gifts in one evening

1. List the people. Family, close friends, and the colleagues or staff you always buy for. Most lists come to fifteen or twenty names.
2. Mark the occasions against each name: their birthday, your anniversary, the festivals you exchange gifts on.
3. Set a budget for the year, not for each gift. Divide it roughly: half for Diwali and the festive season, the rest across the year.
4. Put order-by dates in your phone, not the festival dates. Use the table above.
5. Combine orders. One order in mid-October covers Karwa Chauth, Diwali and Bhai Dooj. One in late January covers Valentine's Day and a February birthday.
6. Keep two small gifts in a drawer. A candle and a pair of diyas will rescue the invitation you forgot.

A note for offices and companies

Corporate gifting has its own calendar. Diwali is the main event, followed by New Year, Women's Day and work anniversaries. Handmade gifts in large numbers need six to eight weeks before Diwali, which means starting in late August or early September. Our guide to handcrafted corporate gifts in India covers budgets, timelines and the tax points to check, and the corporate gifting form is the quickest way to ask for a quote.

When you are ready to choose, browse pieces that can carry a name or start with gifts under ₹500.