Dhoko 2026: is there a dhoko this year, and what is it?

What is dhoko?

In Gujarat, dhoko is the empty day between Diwali and the New Year, a day with no festival of its own. Many people also call it the padtar day.

Not every year has one. A dhoko comes only when Amavasya is still running at sunrise on the day after Diwali. In other years the New Year begins the very next day.

Why does dhoko happen?

Diwali and the New Year are fixed by two different rules:

• Diwali is the day when Aso Vad Amavasya is running during pradosh, just after sunset, because Lakshmi Puja is done on the Amavasya evening.
• The New Year is the day when Kartak Sud 1 (Padvo) is running at sunrise, because a Hindu day takes the tithi at its sunrise.

If Amavasya starts on Diwali and lasts past the next sunrise, the next morning is still Amavasya. That evening Amavasya is over, so it is not Diwali; and that morning it is not Padvo, so it is not the New Year either. That day is the dhoko.

In 2026 Amavasya begins at 11:28 am on 8 November and ends at 12:32 pm on 9 November. Sunrise in Ahmedabad on the 9th is at 6:49 am, while Amavasya is still running. Padvo begins at 12:32 pm on the 9th, so it is Padvo at sunrise on the 10th, and the New Year falls on 10 November.

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What to do on the dhoko day

There is no special puja or ritual on the dhoko. Many families don't start anything new that day, and keep New Year darshan and visits for Besatu Varas. Many shops stay shut from Diwali to Labh Pancham, so for a lot of people it becomes a day to rest or travel.

Customs differ from family to family. Follow your own, and ask your priest if you're unsure. If something has to be done that day, pick a Shubh, Labh or Amrit period from the Choghadiya for 9 November.

Which years have a dhoko?

Calculated for Ahmedabad sunrise. 2022 to 2026 have had a dhoko five years in a row.

Where Amavasya ends very close to the pradosh or sunrise moment, the table says "close call": printed panchangs may give different dates in those years. We will check future years again as they come closer.

Dhoko outside India

A tithi changes at the same instant everywhere, but sunrise comes at a different time in each city. In 2026 Amavasya ends at 12:32 pm India time, which is 7:02 am on 9 November in London. London's sunrise that day is at 7:08 am, so by London sunrise it is already Padvo on the 9th and there is no dhoko. The same is true in the USA.

Most families and mandirs abroad still follow the India dates: dhoko on 9 November and the New Year on 10 November. Go by the date your mandir announces. To see the timing in your city, pick it from the list above.

How we calculate these times

Sunrise and sunset use the Sun's upper edge with standard atmospheric refraction. Amavasya and Padvo come from the angle between the Sun and the Moon. Times are rounded to the minute, so a printed panchang may differ by 1-3 minutes. More about tithis, and the Diwali 2026 muhurat.