April is the month Kerala’s calendar turns a corner. The Malayalam Calendar 2026 April carries the state’s biggest home festival, Vishu, inside a week that also holds Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and the closing day of a major temple festival in Thiruvananthapuram. Add two Ekadashi fasts, two Pradosham evenings, and the gold-buying day of Akshaya Tritiya, and this turns into one of the fuller months on the Kerala calendar despite having no long festival season of its own. This guide lays out every date worth marking, along with a free PDF you can save for the month.
The Malayalam system runs on its own sidereal solar calendar, with months named Chingam, Kanni, Thulam, and onward through to Meenam, layered with the familiar lunar Tithi for Vrat and Ekadashi dates. April 2026 sits right at the seam between two of these months — it opens in the last days of Meenam and crosses into Medam the moment the sun enters Mesha rashi, an event Kerala marks as Vishu. For a state where the calendar year, the solar year, and the lunar fasting cycle all run side by side, April is a useful month to see how the three actually fit together. Below is the complete date-by-date list.
Download the Malayalam Calendar 2026 April PDF
Want this list without reopening the page every time? The Malayalam Calendar 2026 April is also available as a free PDF, carrying the same Vishu, Ekadashi, and Pradosham dates in a simple, printable layout.
- Find the download link on this page — it sits just below this section or near the end of the article.
- Click or tap it to open the PDF in a new tab.
- Save it — on a phone, use your browser’s share icon; on a laptop, press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on Mac).
- Print a copy if a paper version works better for your kitchen or puja space.
- Check back at the start of May, since a fresh calendar goes up every month.
Major Festivals and Holidays — April 2026
| Date | Day | Festival / Observance |
|---|---|---|
| April 2 | Thursday | Chaitra Purnima; Hanuman Jayanti (as marked on most national calendars); Aarattu closes Painkuni Utsavam at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple |
| April 3 | Friday | Good Friday |
| April 5 | Sunday | Easter Sunday; Sankashti Chaturthi |
| April 14 | Tuesday | Vishu (Malayalam New Year / Medam 1); Mesha Sankranti; Ambedkar Jayanti |
| April 15 | Wednesday | Pradosham Vratam (Krishna Paksha) |
| April 19 | Sunday | Akshaya Tritiya |
| April 28 | Tuesday | Pradosham Vratam (Shukla Paksha) |
Ekadashi and Vrat Dates — April 2026
| Date | Day | Vrat / Tithi | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 13 | Monday | Varuthini Ekadashi | Krishna Paksha fast, observed for protection and release from past karma |
| April 17 | Friday | Vaishakha Amavasya | New moon day, favoured for ancestral rites and charity |
| April 27 | Monday | Mohini Ekadashi | Shukla Paksha fast tied to Lord Vishnu’s Mohini form |
Two New Years in One Calendar
A point worth clearing up early: Vishu is widely called the Malayalam New Year, yet the Malayalam Era itself — the Kollavarsham count that gives Kerala its year number — actually advances on Chingam 1, in August. Vishu marks the solar or astrological new year, tied purely to the sun crossing into Mesha rashi, while Chingam 1 marks the calendar’s own civil new year. Both are genuine “new year” moments; they simply belong to two different counting systems running inside the same Panchangam.
Vishu: The Rituals of the Day
Vishu falls on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, when the sun moves into Mesha rashi and the month of Medam begins (a handful of Panchangams place it on April 15 instead, per the sunset rule noted above). The day centres on Vishukkani, the “first sight” ritual. The night before, the woman of the house arranges rice, a gold ornament, a mirror, cucumber, konna flowers, and fruit before an image of Krishna, with a lit lamp beside it. Family members are woken before sunrise and led in, eyes covered, to view this arrangement first — the belief being that a prosperous first sight sets the tone for the year ahead. Elders then give Vishukkaineettam, small cash gifts, to children, and the day usually closes with a Vishu Sadya feast.
Good Friday and Easter in Kerala
Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Sunday, April 5, fall inside this same opening week, and Kerala marks both more visibly than most Indian states, given its large and centuries-old Christian community concentrated along the central coast. Good Friday is a statewide public holiday, observed with church services, processions, and fasting in many homes, while Easter Sunday brings festive Qurbana services and family gatherings. A Malayalam calendar that skips these misses a real part of how the state actually experiences April.
A Note on Hanuman Jayanti
Most national calendars mark Hanuman Jayanti on April 2, 2026, tied to Chaitra Purnima in the North Indian tradition, and it’s worth knowing since it appears on generic calendars everywhere. Kerala’s own tradition, however, doesn’t usually follow this date — Hanuman worship here is tied instead to the Malayalam month of Dhanu, around December–January, so many Kerala temples simply don’t mark Hanuman Jayanti in April at all.
Sankashti Chaturthi: The Month’s Ganesha Fast
Sankashti Chaturthi, on April 5, 2026, is the monthly fast dedicated to Lord Ganesha, observed on the fourth day of the waning moon. Devotees typically fast from sunrise, perform a Ganesha puja in the evening, and break the fast only after sighting the moon, usually around 9 to 10 PM. Since this Chaturthi falls in the final stretch of Meenam, just before Vishu, some households treat it as a quiet lead-in to the New Year, clearing the month with a fast before the celebrations begin.
Ekadashi and Pradosham Fasts This Month
April carries two Ekadashi observances. Varuthini Ekadashi, on April 13, is kept for protection and relief from past karma, and counts among the stricter fasts of the year — beyond the usual grain restriction, oil in food and on the body is also avoided. Mohini Ekadashi, on April 27, closes the month and is linked to the story of Vishnu taking the form of Mohini to resolve a dispute among the Devas and Asuras over the nectar of immortality. Pradosham Vratam, the evening fast for Lord Shiva, falls twice this month — April 15 and April 28 — observed during Pradosh Kaal, the roughly two-hour window that opens at sunset and is considered the most powerful time of the day for Shiva worship.
Akshaya Tritiya: April’s Auspicious Close
Akshaya Tritiya, on April 19, 2026, is treated as a Swayam Siddha Muhurat — meaning the entire day is considered auspicious on its own, without needing a separately calculated window. That’s a large part of why it’s such a popular day for buying gold, opening a business, or performing Griha Pravesh across Kerala. The word Akshaya means “never diminishing,” and tradition holds that whatever is begun or given away on this day keeps yielding rather than fading.
Tips for Observing April’s Fasts
- Varuthini Ekadashi: Skip grains, oil, and fried food for the full day; fruits, milk, and sabudana preparations are the usual go-to choices.
- Sankashti Chaturthi: Keep the fast light through the day and break it only after moonrise, following a simple Ganesha puja in the evening.
- Vishu: Set up the Vishukkani tray the night before so it’s fully ready before anyone wakes, since the ritual depends on it genuinely being the first thing seen.
- Pradosham Vratam: Try to be free during Pradosh Kaal, the roughly two-hour window right after sunset, since that’s when the puja is considered most effective.
Anyone managing a health condition, pregnancy, or an age-related concern should adapt any fast sensibly, and check with a doctor first if going without food for a full day isn’t advisable.
Using the Panchangam Beyond Festival Names
A Malayalam Panchangam does more than list festivals — each date also carries its own Nakshatra, Yoga, and Rahu Kalam, details households often check before travel, a big purchase, or signing paperwork. Temple-specific dates, such as a nakshatra-linked Uthiram day or a local Aarattu, are usually printed separately from the main festival table, so it’s worth checking your family temple’s own notice alongside a general calendar. Because Kerala layers a solar calendar under a lunar Tithi system, small date differences from a North Indian Panchang are ordinary and not a sign that either source has made an error.
April 2026 at a Glance
- Chaitra Purnima / Hanuman Jayanti (national date) / Painkuni Utsavam Aarattu: April 2
- Good Friday: April 3
- Easter Sunday / Sankashti Chaturthi: April 5
- Varuthini Ekadashi: April 13
- Vishu / Mesha Sankranti / Ambedkar Jayanti: April 14
- Pradosham Vratam (Krishna Paksha): April 15
- Vaishakha Amavasya: April 17
- Akshaya Tritiya: April 19
- Mohini Ekadashi: April 27
- Pradosham Vratam (Shukla Paksha): April 28
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Vishu in 2026? Vishu falls on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. A few Panchangams observe it a day later, on April 15, if the solar transition happens after sunset in their city.
Is Vishu really the Malayalam New Year? It’s popularly called that, but the Kollavarsham calendar year itself begins on Chingam 1, in August. Vishu marks the solar new year, a separate count running alongside it.
When is Akshaya Tritiya in 2026? Akshaya Tritiya falls on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Does Kerala observe Hanuman Jayanti in April? Most national calendars list it on April 2, 2026, but Kerala’s own tradition ties Hanuman Jayanti to the month of Dhanu, in December–January, so many local temples don’t mark it in April.
Which Ekadashi fasts fall in April 2026? Two: Varuthini Ekadashi on April 13 and Mohini Ekadashi on April 27.
What is Vishukkani? It means roughly “the first sight of Vishu” — a tray of rice, fruit, gold, a mirror, and konna flowers arranged the night before and viewed first thing on Vishu morning, believed to set the tone for the year ahead.
Is Good Friday a public holiday in Kerala? Yes. Good Friday, April 3, 2026, is a gazetted public holiday across Kerala, alongside most of India.
Can I download the Malayalam Calendar 2026 April PDF for free? Yes. Use the download link earlier in this article — there’s no cost and no account needed.
Conclusion
April 2026 opens quietly with Good Friday, Easter, and the close of a Thiruvananthapuram temple festival, then builds toward Vishu, the real centrepiece of the month, before settling into the steady rhythm of two Ekadashi fasts, two Pradosham evenings, and the auspiciousness of Akshaya Tritiya. Between a new year built entirely around what you choose to see first and a calendar that quietly runs two new-year systems at once, this is a month worth keeping close by. Save this Malayalam Calendar 2026 April guide, or grab the PDF, so none of these dates slip past you.