Chhoti Diwali 2026: Date, Rituals and How to Share Photos

Chhoti Diwali, also called Naraka Chaturdashi, is on Sunday, 8 November 2026, the same day as the main Diwali Lakshmi Puja. Some calendars and families mark it on Saturday, 7 November, so check your local panchang, and if you want to keep the photos from this busy weekend together, make one shared album before it begins.

The confusion about the date is real, and it comes from how the lunar day falls this year. The Chaturdashi tithi begins at about 10:48 AM on 7 November and ends at about 11:28 AM on 8 November, according to several panchang sites. Because the traditional oil bath, called abhyang snan, is taken before sunrise, the New Delhi calendar places Naraka Chaturdashi on 8 November. Vedantu notes that Kali Chaudas, a night observance, falls on 7 November, which is why you will see that date used for Chhoti Diwali as well. In New Delhi, the abhyang snan window on 8 November is about 5:36 to 6:37 AM, and your city’s time will differ a little.

What Chhoti Diwali is about

Chhoti Diwali is the second day of the five day Diwali festival, after Dhanteras on Friday, 6 November. It is also known as Narak Chaturdashi, Roop Chaudas and Kali Chaudas, depending on the region. According to Wikipedia, the day is linked to Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakasura, and a lamp is lit for Yama, the god of death. The same source notes that dishes made from pounded semi-cooked rice, poha or pova, are prepared on this day in some regions.

For most families, the day has a recognisable pattern. People wake early for the oil bath, sometimes with ubtan, put on fresh clothes, light diyas around the house and finish the rangoli at the door. Soulful Bhajans describes the traditions as abhyang snan before sunrise, lighting diyas, decorating the home and offering prayers for well-being. In the evening, lamps go out on the doorstep or balcony, and the house is ready for the next day of Lakshmi Puja.

Why this weekend is a photo challenge

This year, Chhoti Diwali and Diwali itself land on the same Sunday, which makes for a very full day. A family might wake before dawn for the snan, spend the day cooking and cleaning, and then dress up for Lakshmi Puja in the evening. Add Saturday evening diyas and the Kali Chaudas observance for those who follow it, and there are a lot of moments to photograph.

The usual problem follows. Photos are taken on many phones, some are sent to the family WhatsApp group, and the rest stay on the phone where they were taken. WhatsApp compresses images, so a sharp picture of the rangoli is softer by the time it reaches a relative in another city. By Monday, nobody can find the group photo from Sunday morning.

Photo moments worth planning

A few scenes are particularly nice on Chhoti Diwali. The early morning diya on the doorstep has a lovely blue and gold light, and the snan day gives you pictures of children and elders in fresh clothes before the day gets busy. Rangoli looks best from above, and a short wait for good light helps. In the evening, a row of lamps on a window ledge or a balcony makes a simple, strong picture.

Many families also like a photo of the dishes being made, with hands rolling out sweets or pounding poha. These are the pictures that people tend to remember years later, because they show the work and the people behind the festival. A quick group photo before everyone changes into puja clothes also helps, since after Lakshmi Puja the family often scatters.

Choosing how to collect the photos

For a quick greeting or a single picture, WhatsApp is perfect. For a whole weekend with many people taking photos, a shared album works better. Google Photos shared albums are a good choice if your family already uses Google Photos, and they keep quality high, though people usually need to be signed in before they can add pictures. Google Drive suits one person who collects files into a tidy folder, such as a photographer’s final pictures, but it becomes messy when many people upload phone photos.

Rollout is a free app on Android and iPhone built for this situation. The organiser creates an event and shares one QR code or link. Guests scan it, install the app and join, and every photo from every guest’s phone lands in one shared album, live and in full quality, with no WhatsApp compression. If a photographer covers the puja, the organiser can upload their photos from a computer into the same album.

A simple plan for the weekend

Pick one organiser, ideally the person who already runs the family group. Create the album before Saturday evening, and use the same one through Chhoti Diwali, Lakshmi Puja and the days that follow. A single album for the whole festival is easier than a new one each day, and it gives you a story from the first diya to Bhai Dooj.

Share the QR code or link in the family group, and ask people to join before the weekend starts. Installing an app in the middle of an aarti is nobody’s idea of a good time. A short message such as add your photos from the whole festival here is enough, and it also helps relatives in other cities feel included.

After the festival, face search makes finding photos easier. Each person takes a selfie and sees just the photos they are in, so nobody has to scroll through hundreds of pictures to find themselves. Free events last 30 days, which covers the whole Diwali week and a few weeks after, and bigger paid events exist for larger occasions such as a society programme.

A few courtesies

Be careful about what you share publicly. Keep pictures of children, elders and the inside of your home within the family, and ask before posting anyone else’s photo on open social media. If you are in a temple or a shared society space, check whether photography is allowed, and follow what the organisers say.

Chhoti Diwali is a short, bright part of a long festival, and it is easy to miss in the rush. A shared album means the dawn diyas, the rangoli and the faces from this weekend stay easy to find long after the lamps burn out.