The six Hindu seasons (ritus)
The Hindu year has six ritus of two months each, Vasanta, Grishma, Varsha, Sharad, Hemanta and Shishira, matching the farming and weather year of India.
Six seasons, two months each
Where many calendars count four seasons, the traditional Indian year has six. A season is a ritu. Each lasts two Hindu months, so the six ritus fill the twelve months of the year. The seasons describe the weather in the plains of India, where the calendar grew up.
| Ritu | Meaning | Months | What the season is like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vasanta | Spring | Chaitra, Vaishakha | Warm and mild, flowers and new leaves |
| Grishma | Summer | Jyeshtha, Ashadha | Hot and dry |
| Varsha | Monsoon | Shravana, Bhadrapada | Rain |
| Sharad | Autumn | Ashwin, Kartika | Clear skies, the rains retreat |
| Hemanta | Early winter | Margashirsha, Pausha | Cool and dry |
| Shishira | Late winter | Magha, Phalguna | Cold, then easing towards spring |
Some sources use the name Agrahayana for Margashirsha, and Pushya for Pausha. These are the same months.
How the seasons and festivals connect
The ritus give a rhythm to the year and to festival life.
- Vasanta brings the new year festivals such as Ugadi and Gudi Padwa, along with Ram Navami and Chaitra Navratri.
- Varsha is the rainy season. Many people keep a quieter, devotional time, and Chaturmas, the four-month period of observance, is kept through much of it.
- Sharad has the autumn Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali, when the skies are clear and the harvest nears.
- Shishira includes Vasant Panchami, which welcomes the coming spring, and Maha Shivaratri.
Older ideas
The oldest Vedic text, the Rig Veda, names only three seasons: Varsha, Grishma and Sharad. The year was divided into six later. Medical traditions such as Ayurveda also use six ritus when describing diet and daily routine through the year. Writers differ in the details, so do not be surprised to find slightly different lists.
Lunar months and solar seasons
The ritu names are tied to lunar months here, but the lunar year is shorter than the solar year. The adhika masa corrects this about every three years, so a given lunar month stays close to its season over the long run. Some traditions define the ritus by the Sun's position instead, in two-sign periods of the solar year, and that can shift the boundaries by a few weeks. Both methods are in use.
Seasons in the USA
The calendar speaks of India's climate. Where you live in the USA, the weather will not always match. Monsoon rains do not arrive in Houston in Shravana, and Hemanta is deep winter in Chicago. In the southern hemisphere the real seasons are reversed.
This does not matter for religious use. The ritu is a name for a part of the Hindu year. Festivals are decided by the tithi and month, not by the weather outside. Many families enjoy noticing the link to the natural year, but it is not required.
Seasons and daily life
In Ayurveda and traditional household practice, the ritus guide what people eat and wear, and how they rest. This is cultural and not medical advice. If you have a health condition, follow your doctor's advice.