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Navratri Colours 2026: Who Decides Each Day's Colour?

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Tia holds a blue scarf and a yellow scarf beside a glowing board of nine Navratri colours as Yogi watches
Yogi says:

  • 2-minute read
  • Days of the week
  • Whole family
  • Free colour pages

The Navratri colours 2026 run from orange on Sunday 11 October to peacock green on Monday 19 October. Today, Day 5 (Thursday 15 October), is yellow.

So who decides the colours? The calendar does. The weekday on which Navratri begins sets Day 1's colour, and the rest of the list follows from there. This year Navratri began on a Sunday, so Day 1 was orange and Day 5 is yellow.

In our Instagram reel, Yogi asks the question, Tia makes a confused guess and Yogi's bulb lights up with a clue: "it's hiding in a calendar!" Did your child guess it? Below you'll find the full list, the story behind it and a little calendar game to play together.

Today's Navratri colour

Each day of Sharad Navratri 2026 has its own colour. Today's is highlighted.

Navratri is over for this year. Here's the full 2026 list to look back on, and a fun one to compare with next year's.

Day 1, Sunday: Orange

Day 1 honours Maa Shailaputri. Sunday's start made orange the first colour.

See every day
  1. : Day 1, Sunday: OrangeDay 1 honours Maa Shailaputri. Sunday's start made orange the first colour.
  2. : Day 2, Monday: WhiteDay 2 honours Maa Brahmacharini.
  3. : Day 3, Tuesday: RedDay 3 honours Maa Chandraghanta.
  4. : Day 4, Wednesday: Royal blueDay 4 honours Maa Kushmanda. This is the blue Tia talks about in the reel.
  5. : Day 5, Thursday: YellowDay 5 honours Maa Skandamata. Yellow is the colour of our reel's courtyard.
  6. : Day 6, Friday: GreenDay 6 honours Maa Katyayani.
  7. : Day 7, Saturday: GreyDay 7 honours Maa Kalaratri.
  8. : Day 8, Sunday: PurpleDay 8 honours Maa Mahagauri.
  9. : Day 9, Monday: Peacock greenDay 9 honours Maa Siddhidatri. Dussehra follows on Tuesday 20 October.

Who decides the Navratri colours?

Navratri means "nine nights". Over these nights many families worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga, called the Navadurga, one form each day, from Shailaputri on Day 1 to Siddhidatri on Day 9.

Wearing a set colour each day is a newer, joyful custom that grew up alongside the festival. It is especially popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat, at garba nights, in schools and in offices.

  • There is no religious rule for the colours. Wearing them is a cultural choice, a fun way for everyone to join in together.
  • The weekday decides the start. The weekday on which Navratri begins sets Day 1's colour, so the list changes from year to year.
  • The list is published each year in panchangs (Hindu almanacs) and in newspapers such as Maharashtra Times, so everyone wears the same colour on the same day.
  • This year: Navratri began on Sunday 11 October, so Day 1 was orange and Day 5 is yellow.

Myth or fact? Tap to find out

0 of 5 flipped

From the reel: Yogi asks, Tia guesses

  • Yogi asks Tia a question in the yellow courtyard while Tia smiles by the colour board
    Yogi asks: why a different colour every day?
  • Tia looks puzzled, holding up a blue scarf and a yellow scarf
    Tia's guess: yesterday blue, today yellow... who decides?
  • Yogi closes his eyes as the bulb in his chest glows bright
    Yogi's bulb lights up with a clue
  • Yogi smiles at the camera in front of the colour board
    The clue: it's hiding in a calendar!

Play the calendar game with your child

Find the colour from the calendar

A two-minute puzzle that turns the reel's clue into calendar practice.

0 of 5 done

  1. Open a wall calendar or a phone calendar and point to today's date. Say the weekday out loud together.

  2. Count back to Sunday 11 October. Ask: what day of the week was it? Sunday's start is why Day 1 was orange.

    Yogi grins as he gives the calendar clue

  3. Count from 11 October to today on your fingers. That number is today's Navratri day.

  4. Look up that day in the list above and find something in that colour at home.

    Tia holds up a yellow scarf and a blue scarf

  5. Before you check, ask your child to guess tomorrow's colour. Then look it up together.

What kids learn from the colour calendar

Key Takeaway

A festival question that builds real skills

Reading a calendar and naming the days of the week builds early time skills. Counting the days and predicting tomorrow's colour practises counting on and spotting patterns. Naming colours like royal blue and peacock green grows vocabulary, and the story behind the custom shows children that traditions have reasons, and that some are cultural choices rather than rules.

Make it easier or harder

Change the game to suit your child

Little ones

  • Skip the calendar and just say today's colour together.
  • Find one thing in today's colour and name it.
  • Sing the days of the week while you point at the calendar.

Older kids

  • Work out which weekday Day 9 falls on, without looking.
  • Make a nine-day colour chart with dates and weekdays.
  • Look up last year's start day and compare the two lists.
  • Find out which form of Durga is honoured on each day.

More Navratri fun on paper

Keep the colour theme going with nine-colour calendars, colour by number, garba counting and festival puzzles in our Navratri worksheets.

Navratri colours questions

What are the Navratri colours for 2026?
From Sunday 11 to Monday 19 October 2026: orange, white, red, royal blue, yellow, green, grey, purple and peacock green, one for each day.
What is the colour of Day 5 of Navratri 2026?
Yellow. Day 5 falls on Thursday 15 October 2026 and honours Maa Skandamata.
Who decides the Navratri colours each year?
The weekday on which Navratri begins sets Day 1's colour, and the list is published each year in panchangs and newspapers such as Maharashtra Times. It is a cultural custom, not a religious rule.
Why do the colours change every year?
Because Navratri starts on a different weekday each year, and the weekday sets the first colour. In 2026 it began on a Sunday, so Day 1 was orange.
Do children have to wear the colour of the day?
No. It's a fun way for the whole family or class to join in. Many schools hold colour days, but any outfit is fine.
How can I explain the nine colours to young children?
Keep it simple: each day has a colour, and the calendar tells us which one. Then play the calendar game above or go on a colour hunt round the house.
Hemsweta Jain (Teacher Cheena), founder of RaisoActive

Written by

Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena

MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai

Published · Last reviewed

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