Narak Chaturdashi in Abu Dhabi

Date and timing in this city

In Abu Dhabi, Narak Chaturdashi falls on Saturday 7 November 2026, and in the following year on Thursday 28 October 2027. The city's time zone is Asia/Dubai.

The tithi observed is Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi. Because the tithi is calculated for Abu Dhabi's own sunrise, the date given here is the one that applies to Abu Dhabi, not a date carried over from India.

The day is known as Choti Diwali, and the deity associated with it is Krishna. The observance includes Abhyanga snan, the traditional oil bath taken on this morning.

Why the date can differ from India

Narak Chaturdashi is fixed by the tithi, and the tithi is reckoned from local sunrise at the place where it is observed. Abu Dhabi sits in Asia/Dubai, and its sunrise does not coincide with sunrise in India. A tithi that is current at Indian sunrise may have ended, or may not yet have begun, at sunrise in Abu Dhabi.

For this reason, the date in Abu Dhabi can fall on the same Gregorian day as in India or on a different one. The dates above are the ones computed for Abu Dhabi itself, so residents there can follow them directly rather than adjusting an Indian date by hand.

Where traditions differ — North and South Indian practice, Smarta and Vaishnava conventions, and the amanta and purnimanta reckonings of the lunar month — families may mark the day according to their own custom. This is a matter of lineage and local convention, and both approaches are followed.

Where and how the community celebrates

Narak Chaturdashi is observed across the Hindu diaspora, and in Abu Dhabi it is kept at home and within the community in the ways families already follow. The day is associated with Krishna, and it is commonly observed as Choti Diwali, the day before the main Diwali observance.

The morning begins with Abhyanga snan, the oil bath that gives the day one of its familiar names. Households light lamps in the evening, and the day is treated as part of the wider Diwali sequence rather than standing alone.

Customs vary between families and regions, so the form the day takes in a given home in Abu Dhabi will reflect that family's own tradition.

Practical tips

• Note the Abu Dhabi date directly: 7 November 2026 and 28 October 2027. No conversion from an Indian date is needed.
• Plan the Abhyanga snan for the morning, in keeping with the observance.
• If your family follows a particular regional or sampradaya custom, keep to it; the tithi date above does not override family practice.
• For anything tied to your own chart — vrat, muhurta or personal questions — consult a qualified jyotishi rather than relying on a general date.