When Is Dakini Day?

Dakini Day falls on the 25th day of every Tibetan lunar month, a day for honouring the dakinis and the wisdom of the divine feminine. Because the Tibetan calendar follows the Moon, Dakini Day moves around the Western calendar from one month to the next.

Our Festival Finder starts from today's date and shows the next Dakini Day, together with all the holy days of the Tibetan Buddhist year. Change the date to look ahead or back, and select any day to read what it celebrates and how we can practise.

Who Are the Dakinis?

The Tibetan word for dakini is khandro, which means "sky-goer". The dakinis move freely through the sky of the mind, and they stand for the wisdom that sees through our confusion. In Tibetan Buddhism they appear as teachers and protectors, sometimes peaceful and sometimes fierce, always pointing us back to the open nature of mind.

Some dakinis were historical women, such as Yeshe Tsogyal, the great disciple of Guru Rinpoche, and Machig Labdrön, who founded the practice of Chöd. On Dakini Day we honour them, and the wisdom of the divine feminine within each of us.

Why Do the Dates Move?

The Tibetan calendar is lunisolar. Its months follow the phases of the Moon, while leap months keep the year in step with the Sun. A lunar month lasts about 29 and a half days, so twelve of them fall around eleven days short of a solar year, and roughly every 32 or 33 months an extra month is added to make up the gap.

This means the Tibetan months never line up with Western ones. The 1st Tibetan month is not January, and the 6th month is not June. Saga Dawa, the 4th month, usually falls in May and June, the 6th month spans July and August, Lhabab Düchen in the 9th month comes in late October or November, and Tsongkhapa Day in the 10th month falls in late November or December.

The calendar also has a curious feature of its own. A Tibetan day is named after the lunar day in force at dawn, so now and then a date drops out of the calendar or appears twice. When that happens to a holy day, it is observed on the first day it is present, and the Festival Finder notes it.

The Great Düchen Days

Four great festivals, the Düchen, celebrate turning points in the life of the Buddha: Chötrul Düchen, Saga Dawa Düchen, Chökhor Düchen and Lhabab Düchen. On these days the effects of our actions, positive or negative, are said to be multiplied millions of times, which makes them powerful days for practice and generosity.

Looking for another festival of light? Try our Diwali Date Finder

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