Engagement dates in 2026

1 Jan 2026 — 17 Feb 2026 · 19 Oct 2026 — 28 Oct 2026 · Shukra asta
Not held anywhere, by any tradition
Shukra — Venus — is combust. Venus is the karaka of the spouse and of conjugal harmony, and marriages are not held while it is set. This happens roughly every eighteen months and can last two months when Venus passes behind the Sun.

1 Jan 2026 — 14 Jan 2026 · 16 Dec 2026 — 31 Dec 2026 · Margazhi
Avoided by strong Tamil custom rather than by a rule from a text
Margazhi — the Sun in Dhanus, from about 16 December to about 14 January. It is given over to worship rather than to beginnings: the month of Thiruvempavai and Thiruppavai, when temples open before dawn. Weddings are not held in it. This one falls entirely outside Chaturmas, so it is a separate reason and not the same gap under another name.

15 Jul 2026 — 13 Aug 2026 · Guru asta
Not held anywhere, by any tradition
Guru — Jupiter — is combust, too close to the Sun for its light to be seen. Jupiter is the karaka of the husband and of dharma, and no marriage is performed while it is set. This happens once a year and lasts about a month.

17 Jul 2026 — 17 Aug 2026 · Aadi
Avoided by strong Tamil custom rather than by a rule from a text
Aadi — the month the Sun spends in Karka, from about 17 July. Weddings are not held in Aadi in Tamil practice; it is a month for the family deities and for the goddess. This is regional custom rather than a rule from a classical text, and it overlaps the opening weeks of Chaturmas.

24 Jul 2026 — 19 Nov 2026 · Chaturmas
Kept clear by this calendar
Chaturmas — the four months from Devshayani Ekadashi to Prabodhini Ekadashi, when Vishnu is held to sleep. This calendar keeps weddings out of it, so it gives no dates inside it. It ends on Prabodhini Ekadashi, which is itself the first auspicious day of the season.

18 Sept 2026 — 17 Oct 2026 · Purattasi
Avoided by strong Tamil custom rather than by a rule from a text
Purattasi — the Sun in Kanya, from about 17 September. It is the month of Perumal and it contains Mahalaya Paksham, the fortnight kept for the ancestors, and no wedding is held in it. Regional custom rather than a classical rule, and it falls inside Chaturmas as well.