Winter · 2 January 2026
Pausha Purnima
पौषपूर्णिमा · The full moon bath of Pausha
Festival details
About
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Pausha Purnima is the sacred winter full moon when devotees bathe in holy rivers and give in charity.
Origin
The Puranas call Pausha a month of bathing and merit. The full moon is linked to lunar fullness and inner cleansing.
Why it is celebrated
Bathing and charity on this day open the year in purity, and offerings of water to ancestors are also kept.
The katha
Tradition holds that bathing in the Ganga on this full moon brings special merit, for devotion warms body and mind even in cold.
Stories & episodes
In many places the Magha fair season is linked from this moon, and Vaishnava temples hold special kirtans.
Rituals & customs
River baths, lamp offerings, gifts of food and cloth, and Vishnu Sahasranama or Satyanarayan katha.
Where it is celebrated
Ghats of North India, Prayagraj and Kashi; special observances in Vaishnava maths.