Hemanta ritu is Ayurveda’s early-winter season, the last of the six ritus and the close of the cooling half of the year. In 2026 it begins on 16 November, when the sidereal Sun enters Vrischika (Scorpio) by the Lahiri reckoning, and runs about two months, to Makar Sankranti in mid-January, when Shishira, late winter, takes over.
Key takeaways
- Hemanta ritu begins on Monday 16 November 2026, the day of Vrischika Sankranti; Drik Panchang puts the Sun’s ingress at 7:48 PM in New Delhi, 6:18 AM Pacific time.
- In the Charaka Samhita, Hemanta closes Visarga kala, the restoring half of the year, when strength peaks.
- Ritu sandhi, the classical changeover, is the last 7 days of one season and the first 7 of the next: about 9 to 22 November 2026.
- Under natural light, five winter campers’ biological night lasted about 14.4 hours, against 10.0 hours for summer campers in an earlier study (Current Biology, 2017).
- The tropical zodiac starts the same sign on 23 October 2026, and the lunar month Margashirsha begins on 25 November or 9 December, depending on the calendar.
What is Hemanta ritu?
Hemanta is the early-winter season of Ayurveda’s six-season year, covering the lunar months Margashirsha and Pausha, roughly mid-November to mid-January. Ritucharya, from ritu (season) and charya (regimen), is the classical practice of fitting diet and routine to each season, set out in Charaka Samhita Sutrasthana chapter 6, the Tasyashitiya Adhyaya, and Ashtanga Hridaya Sutrasthana chapter 3.
What are the six ritus of Ayurveda?
Ayurveda divides the year into six two-month seasons in two halves set by the Sun’s course. The Ashtanga Hridaya counts them in pairs of months from Magha, starting with Shishira.
| Ritu | English | Lunar months | Sidereal Sun signs | Rough dates | Half |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shishira | late winter | Magha, Phalguna | Makara, Kumbha | mid-Jan to mid-Mar | Adana |
| Vasanta | spring | Chaitra, Vaishakha | Meena, Mesha | mid-Mar to mid-May | Adana |
| Grishma | summer | Jyeshtha, Ashadha | Vrishabha, Mithuna | mid-May to mid-Jul | Adana |
| Varsha | rains | Shravana, Bhadrapada | Karka, Simha | mid-Jul to mid-Sep | Visarga |
| Sharad | autumn | Ashvina, Kartika | Kanya, Tula | mid-Sep to mid-Nov | Visarga |
| Hemanta | early winter | Margashirsha, Pausha | Vrischika, Dhanu | mid-Nov to mid-Jan | Visarga |
How do Visarga and Adana kala frame the cold season?
In the Charaka Samhita, Adana kala (“the taking”) is the Sun’s northward half, which dries the world; Visarga kala (“the giving”) is the southward half, when the Moon, rain and cool winds restore it. Hemanta ends Visarga; Shishira, its colder twin, opens Adana.
Charaka says human strength is lowest at the start of Visarga and the end of Adana, and greatest at the end of Visarga and the start of Adana: in Hemanta and Shishira. The Ashtanga Hridaya agrees that strength is greatest in the cold. Charaka calls the two winters almost alike, Shishira drier as Adana begins and chilled by cloud, wind and rain, and carries the Hemanta regimen into late winter. This is a cosmology built on dosha theory, not a measurement.
When does Hemanta begin in 2026, and why do dates differ?
By the sidereal solar reckoning, Hemanta 2026 begins on 16 November, when the Sun enters Vrischika (Scorpio). Our calendar engine computes it with the Lahiri ayanamsa, the standard in Indian calendars, and Drik Panchang (New Delhi) and Haindavam (Ujjain) give the same day, with ingress times a few minutes apart.
Other reckonings give other dates:
- Tropical zodiac. The tropical Sun enters Scorpio on 23 October 2026, about 24 days earlier, because the two zodiacs have drifted apart by the ayanamsa, about 24 degrees in 2026.
- Lunar months. Margashirsha begins on 25 November 2026 in the full-moon-ending (purnimanta) calendar of north India and on 9 December in the new-moon-ending (amanta) calendar used in much of south and west India.
- The weather. The Charaka Samhita Online commentary, drawing on the Sushruta Samhita, says a season is known first by its actual character, then by the Sun’s sign, last by the month.
What is ritu sandhi?
Ritu sandhi, “the joining of seasons”, is the 14-day changeover around a new ritu, about 9 to 22 November 2026. The commentary, citing Charaka Sutrasthana chapter 7, advises dropping old habits and adopting new ones gradually, at intervals of one, two or three days, since sudden change was thought to cause illness.
What do the classical texts say about early-winter routine?
The texts describe a season of strong appetite, warmth and shelter, reported here as history, not instructions.
- Digestion. Charaka says the cold traps the digestive fire inside a healthy body, so it handles heavy food; underfed, the fire was thought to consume the body’s own fluids (rasa).
- Food. Charaka favors unctuous, sour and salty foods, warm water and new rice, and discourages light, vata-aggravating food, strong wind and eating too little. His list also includes meats and wine.
- Long nights. The Ashtanga Hridaya says that because the nights are long, a person wakes hungry at dawn and, after the morning’s necessary tasks, should follow the regimen.
- Warmth and sun. Charaka lists sunbathing, warm inner rooms, thick quilts and warm clothes, along with oil massage and sudation; the AYU review adds exercise and says cold wind and daytime sleep were avoided.
We do not recommend any oil, massage regimen, food amount or remedy.
What does science say about these claims?
Some of Hemanta’s timing advice matches winter body-clock research; its cosmology is untestable.
| Tradition says | Science says | Grade | On My BodyClock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemanta’s nights are long, and the body follows them | In many people, nightly melatonin lasts longer when winter nights are longer (Wehr review, 1997). Five adults camping by natural light near the winter solstice had a biological night of about 14.4 hours, against 10.0 for summer campers, and slept about 2.3 hours longer than at home (Current Biology, 2017) | plausible (small studies; electric light blunts it) | A longer sleep window, lamps low after dinner |
| Seek sunlight in the cold season | Among 32 indoor workers in Kiruna, Sweden, mid-sleep came 32 minutes later in winter than summer, and more morning daylight was linked with earlier sleep (Clocks & Sleep, 2018, observational) | plausible | A walk outside soon after sunrise and at midday |
| Appetite is strong in early winter | Food diaries from 315 adults showed the highest calorie intake, especially carbohydrate, in the fall (Physiology & Behavior, 1991, observational) | plausible (fall, not winter) | Warm meals at set times, not more food |
| Change habits gradually over 14 days | No trial tests the window; the body clock does shift with light over days, as about six days of winter camping moved melatonin onset about 2.6 hours earlier | plausible (window untested) | Shift bedtime in small steps |
| Strength peaks through the Moon’s power in Visarga | A cosmological framework, not a testable claim | cultural | None |
The studies are small or observational, and none tests dosha theory. More on lamps and late nights: Does Electric Light Make Us Sleep Later?
How can you keep time well as Hemanta begins?
Let the long nights inform bedtime, but keep a steady wake time and get daylight early. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute advises the same bedtime and wake time every day, within about an hour on weekends, and no bright screens in the hour before bed.
In the US, daylight saving time ends two weeks before Hemanta begins in 2026; see when daylight saving time ends and how to fix your sleep schedule.
Your day on My BodyClock
The day above on My BodyClock is an early-winter day built on Hemanta’s timing and the light research: a steady 6:30 AM wake-up, a walk in morning daylight, a warm breakfast for the hungry dawn, a midday walk, dinner at a regular hour, low lamps and sleep at 10 PM for a longer winter night. These anchors are our suggestion, not a classical prescription.
Build yours in Owaves: Owaves on the App Store, the Android waitlist, or the Body Clock Type quiz.
FAQ
When does Hemanta ritu start in 2026?
By the sidereal solar reckoning with the Lahiri ayanamsa, Hemanta ritu 2026 starts on Monday 16 November, the day of Vrischika Sankranti, and lasts until Makar Sankranti in mid-January. Lunar calendars start it with Margashirsha: 25 November (purnimanta) or 9 December 2026 (amanta).
What is the difference between Hemanta and Shishira?
Both are cold seasons, and the Charaka Samhita calls them almost alike. Hemanta closes Visarga kala, the restoring half of the year; Shishira opens Adana kala, so the text calls it drier, with cold from cloud, wind and rain. The text carries the Hemanta regimen into Shishira.
What is ritucharya?
Ritucharya is Ayurveda’s seasonal regimen: fitting food, activity and routine to each of the six seasons. Its classical sources are Charaka Samhita Sutrasthana chapter 6 and Ashtanga Hridaya Sutrasthana chapter 3. Most of its health claims have not been tested in trials.
Sources
- Charaka Samhita Online. Tasyashiteeya Adhyaya (Sutra Sthana 6). https://www.carakasamhitaonline.com/index.php/Tasyashiteeya_Adhyaya
- Thakkar J, et al. Ritucharya: Answer to the lifestyle disorders. AYU, 2011. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3361919/
- Vagbhata. Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana chapter 3 (Sanskrit text). Wikisource. https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A9
- Drik Panchang. Vrishchika Sankranti 2026. https://www.drikpanchang.com/sankranti/vrischika-sankranti-date-time.html?year=2026
- Haindavam. Vrischika Sankranti 2026. https://haindavam.org/festivals/vrischika_sankranti/2026-11-16
- Drik Panchang. Tropical Vrishchika Sankranti 2026. https://www.drikpanchang.com/sankranti/tropical/vrischika-sankranti-date-time.html?year=2026
- Wikipedia. Ayanamsa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayanamsa
- Drik Panchang. Day Panchang, 25 November 2026. https://www.drikpanchang.com/panchang/day-panchang.html?date=25/11/2026
- Drik Panchang. Day Panchang, 9 December 2026. https://www.drikpanchang.com/panchang/day-panchang.html?date=09/12/2026
- Wehr TA. Melatonin and seasonal rhythms. J Biol Rhythms, 1997. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9406025/
- Stothard ER, et al. Circadian Entrainment to the Natural Light-Dark Cycle across Seasons and the Weekend. Current Biology, 2017. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5335920/
- Lowden A, et al. Delayed Sleep in Winter Related to Natural Daylight Exposure among Arctic Day Workers. Clocks & Sleep, 2018. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7509675/
- de Castro JM. Seasonal rhythms of human nutrient intake and meal pattern. Physiology & Behavior, 1991. https://europepmc.org/article/MED/1946724
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Healthy Sleep Habits. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/healthy-sleep-habits
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