Festival
Skanda Sashti 2026
Also known as Soorasamharam
Skanda Sashti 2026 at a glance
Skanda Sashti 2026 is on Sunday 15 November. Devotees fast through the day and gather at Murugan temples in the evening to witness Soorasamharam, the ritual re-enactment of Murugan's victory over the demon Soorapadman.
When it falls
Kartik Shukla Shashthi
- 2026 · Sunday, 15 November 2026
- 2027 · Thursday, 4 November 2027
Significance
Skanda Sashti falls on the sixth (shashthi) lunar day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Kartik. Skanda is one of the names of Murugan — also called Kartikeya, Subramanya and Kumara — the son of Shiva and Parvati, the commander of the divine army, and the god of war, wisdom and victory. Six is his number: the story goes that he was born with six faces, one for each star of the Krittika cluster that nursed him.
The festival commemorates the climax of a great cosmic battle. The story goes that the demon Soorapadman and his brothers had grown so powerful that they drove the gods from their heavens and held the world under their grip. The gods prayed to Shiva, who produced Murugan from his six divine sparks. Murugan spent six days in battle, wielding his vel (spear), a weapon given to him by his mother Parvati. On the sixth day — this day — he struck down Soorapadman with the vel, splitting him in two. The halves became a cock and a peacock, which ever since appear on Murugan's banner and as his mount, signs of a defeated enemy turned into devoted servants.
Soorasamharam, the name for this culminating day, means "the destruction of Soorapadman". It is a day of profound triumph: light over darkness, divine order restored.
How it’s observed
The most common observance is a six-day fast (Skanda Sashti Vratam), beginning on the day after Amavasya (the new moon) and ending on Sashti itself. Devotees eat only once a day, or abstain from grains, meat and salt entirely. On Sashti day many fast completely until the evening worship.
At Murugan temples — especially the famous six Arupadai Veedu shrines in Tamil Nadu — the day is celebrated with elaborate processions and the dramatic re-enactment of Soorasamharam, in which an effigy of the demon is symbolically destroyed. Devotees carry kavadi (arched frames decorated with flowers and peacock feathers) and sing the Kanda Sashti Kavasam, a protective Tamil hymn, throughout the day.
In the diaspora — in the UK, Canada, the US, Singapore, the Gulf and Australia — Tamil temples recreate the Soorasamharam drama in the evening. Families who cannot attend a temple observe the fast at home, recite the Kavasam, and offer fruits, flowers and coconut before an image of Murugan.
The timing, explained
Skanda Sashti is determined by the tithi (lunar day), specifically Shukla Shashthi, the sixth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Kartik. This almanac follows the Amanta reckoning, in which months run from new moon to new moon; under the Purnimanta reckoning used in parts of north India the same month is also called Kartik.
Unlike most festivals, the day is not chosen by sunrise. Skanda Sashti is kept on the day Shashthi meets Panchami (the fifth lunar day): if Shashthi begins before sunset on the Panchami day, most temples hold Soorasamharam that evening; otherwise it is kept the next day. Because the tithi begins at a different local time in each country, temples in the UK and North America sometimes keep it a day earlier than temples in India, so check with your local temple. The festival moves through October and November, usually falling in November.
Questions people ask
What is Soorasamharam?
Soorasamharam means "the destruction of Soorapadman". It is the name for Skanda Sashti's climactic evening event, when temples re-enact Murugan's defeat of the demon with processions and the ritual destruction of an effigy. It is the emotional and devotional high point of the six-day festival.
How is the Skanda Sashti fast kept?
Traditionally the fast runs for six days, beginning the day after the new moon. Devotees reduce food progressively, avoiding meat, alcohol and grains, and many fast completely on Sashti itself until the evening puja. Practices vary by family; some keep only the final day's fast.
What is the Kanda Sashti Kavasam?
It is a Tamil devotional hymn — kavasam means armour — addressed to Murugan. Reciting it on Skanda Sashti is considered an act of surrender and devotion. Many devotees recite it throughout the fast days, and Tamil temples chant it continuously during the festival.
When does Skanda Sashti usually fall?
Usually in November, though the exact date moves each year because it follows the lunar calendar. It is always the sixth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartik. Check this page's date table for your year.
Is Skanda Sashti kept outside Tamil Nadu?
Yes. It is observed wherever Tamil communities have settled: in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, the Gulf, the UK, Canada, the US and Australia. Tamil Murugan temples worldwide hold Soorasamharam events; diaspora families also observe the fast and recite the Kavasam at home.
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