Rama Ekadashi 2026 in the USA: Date, Ekadashi Times and Parana (a Day Before India)

Rama Ekadashi is the last Ekadashi before Diwali, and in 2026 the US keeps it a full day before India. In North America the fast is on Wednesday, November 4; India fasts on Thursday, November 5. Here's the tithi in your time zone, when to break the fast on Thursday, and what a Moon sitting next to Jupiter means for you. (Want your own Moon sign first? Find it free in 10 seconds.)

When is Rama Ekadashi 2026?

• USA and Canada: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
• India: Thursday, November 5, 2026

Rama (also written Rambha) Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the waning Moon in Kartika (Kartika Krishna Ekadashi in the North Indian purnimanta calendar, Ashwin Krishna Ekadashi in the South Indian amanta calendar). Computed with the NASA JPL DE421 ephemeris, the engine behind our free Vedic birth chart:

Drik Panchang's New York calendar gives 12:33 AM Nov 4 to 12:05 AM Nov 5, within a minute of ours, and its San Francisco, Chicago and New Delhi pages agree.

Why the US is a day ahead. A Hindu day takes the tithi that is running at sunrise. In North America, Ekadashi has already begun before Wednesday's sunrise and is over before Thursday's, so Wednesday is the fast. In India, Ekadashi only starts at 11:03 AM on Wednesday, after sunrise, and is still running at Thursday's sunrise, so India fasts on Thursday. The instant is the same; the clock on your wall decides the date. If your family in India fasts on Thursday, both of you are right.

What Rama Ekadashi means for all of us

"Rama" here is a name of Lakshmi, which is why this Ekadashi, four days before Lakshmi Puja, is kept for Vishnu together with Lakshmi. The Padma Purana story is about Chandrabhaga, daughter of King Muchukunda, whose husband Shobhana kept this fast even though it cost him his life, and was reborn to a shining kingdom; Chandrabhaga's own Ekadashi merit made that kingdom permanent. The themes are devotion, loyalty and abundance that lasts.

• It clears the way for Diwali. Many families treat it as the spiritual "deep clean" before Dhanteras and Lakshmi Puja: fast, simplify, then celebrate.
• The Moon is in Leo with Jupiter. On Wednesday the Moon and Jupiter share Leo, a Gaja Kesari pairing: generosity, faith and a big heart. A naturally good day for prayer, charity and blessings from elders.
• It's a Purva Phalguni day. For most of Wednesday the Moon is in Purva Phalguni, a Venus-ruled star of rest, pleasure and marriage. It moves into Uttara Phalguni at about 2:00 PM Pacific / 5:00 PM Eastern, the star of promises and partnership.
• The shadow is pride. Leo Moon plus Jupiter can turn "I know best" quickly. Fast from the argument as well as the grains.

How to keep the fast in the US

1. Tuesday night: a light, grain-free dinner and your sankalpa (intention). On the West Coast, Ekadashi has already begun at 9:33 PM Tuesday.
2. Wednesday, November 4: fast from grains and beans. Many keep a phalahar fast (fruit, milk, nuts, sabudana); the stricter keep a water-only fast. Do Vishnu and Lakshmi puja, offer tulsi, and read or listen to the Rama Ekadashi katha.
3. Thursday, November 5: break the fast in the morning parana window below. Hari Vasara (the first quarter of Dwadashi, when you shouldn't break the fast) ends overnight, around 3 AM Pacific / 6 AM Eastern, before sunrise everywhere in North America, so you can eat from sunrise. Dwadashi lasts all of Thursday in the US.

The parana window is sunrise to the end of pratahkala (the first fifth of the day), the same rule Drik Panchang uses; its New York window is 6:31 to 8:34 AM, exactly ours. If you miss it, you can still break the fast later on Thursday while Dwadashi runs. If your temple publishes a different window, follow it.

How to read this Ekadashi for yourself

Vedic astrology reads the sky from your Moon sign (Rashi), not your Western Sun sign. If you don't know yours, the Moon-sign finder on this page or the free birth chart gives it to you in seconds. Count Leo from your Moon sign: that's the house the Moon and Jupiter light up on Ekadashi.

Effects for each Moon sign

Aries Moon (Leo is your 5th). Children, romance and mantra. A lovely fast to keep for your kids or for a creative wish.

Taurus Moon (Leo is your 4th). Home and mother. Do the puja at home and clean one corner before Diwali.

Gemini Moon (Leo is your 3rd). Courage and siblings. Send the message you've been sitting on; keep it kind.

Cancer Moon (Leo is your 2nd). Money, food and family speech. A good day to fast from overspending too.

Leo Moon (Leo is your 1st). The Moon and Jupiter sit on your own Moon. You feel blessed and visible; give, don't perform.

Virgo Moon (Leo is your 12th). Sleep, letting go and charity. A quiet, water-and-fruit fast suits you best. The Moon enters your sign Wednesday night.

Libra Moon (Leo is your 11th). Friends and gains. Ask for help with a goal; someone older can open a door.

Scorpio Moon (Leo is your 10th). Career and reputation. A visible moment at work; act like the leader you're becoming.

Sagittarius Moon (Leo is your 9th). Faith, teachers and luck. The most natural sign for a temple visit or calling a mentor.

Capricorn Moon (Leo is your 8th). Hidden things and shared money. Keep the fast simple and finish paperwork before Dhanteras.

Aquarius Moon (Leo is your 7th). Partners. Fast together or pray for your relationship; listen more than you advise.

Pisces Moon (Leo is your 6th). Health and routines. Go gentle with your body; a phalahar fast is enough.

Your dasha matters more than one Ekadashi

An Ekadashi is one day of weather; your Vimshottari dasha is the season you're living through. The same Leo Moon feels very different in a Jupiter or Venus period than in a Rahu or Saturn period, and it matters which house Leo is in your birth chart. You can ask my AI astrologer about your own chart: your first 3 questions are free, and it reads your exact dasha, not just your Moon sign.

Rama Ekadashi to Diwali 2026: the key dates

All times were computed with the NASA JPL DE421 ephemeris in the sidereal zodiac (Lahiri ayanamsa) and match Drik Panchang's New York, Chicago, San Francisco and New Delhi Rama Ekadashi pages within a minute. Sunrise and sunset are for the city centers listed; your suburb may differ by a minute or two.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rama Ekadashi 2026 on November 4 or 5 in the USA?

Wednesday, November 4, 2026, everywhere in the US and Canada. India keeps it on Thursday, November 5, because Ekadashi starts after sunrise there on Wednesday.

When should I break the Rama Ekadashi fast in the USA?

Thursday morning, November 5, from sunrise: about 6:31 to 8:34 AM in New York, 6:27 to 8:30 AM in Chicago, 6:16 to 8:24 AM in Los Angeles and 6:36 to 8:42 AM in the Bay Area.

What time does Ekadashi start and end in November 2026?

Rama Ekadashi tithi runs from about 12:33 AM Eastern on Wednesday, November 4 to 12:06 AM Eastern on Thursday, November 5 (9:33 PM Tuesday to 9:06 PM Wednesday Pacific). In India it runs from 11:03 AM IST on November 4 to 10:36 AM IST on November 5.

Why is it called Rama Ekadashi?

Rama is a name of Goddess Lakshmi. Because it falls four days before Diwali's Lakshmi Puja, Vishnu is worshipped together with Lakshmi on this Ekadashi.

Which nakshatra is the Moon in on Rama Ekadashi 2026?

Purva Phalguni in Leo for most of Wednesday in the US, moving into Uttara Phalguni at about 2:00 PM Pacific / 5:00 PM Eastern. Jupiter is in Leo too, in Magha.

The next Ekadashi is Dev Uthani Ekadashi on Friday, November 20, when Chaturmas ends. In between come Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj and Chhath Puja.

Want to know what this Diwali season holds for your own chart? Ask Miss Astroglow's AI astrologer (3 questions free), or book a live 1:1 with Miss Astroglow to go through your chart together. Om Namo Narayanaya 🙏