Muhurat abroad: choosing an auspicious date and time where you live
Why a date chosen for India doesn't carry over to Toronto or Sydney, and what goes into choosing one where you live.
- Wedding
- Griha pravesh
- Naming ceremony
- Mundan
- Upanayanam
- Annaprashan
- Business opening
A muhurat (in South India, muhurtham) is an auspicious date and time chosen for an important beginning: a wedding, moving into a new home (griha pravesh or gruhapravesam), a naming ceremony, a child's first haircut or the opening of a business. Families abroad often find a date in a panchang printed for India, or ask a relative back home. The problem is that a muhurat is worked out for a place.
Why a muhurat for India doesn't work in Toronto
- The day starts at local sunrise. A panchang day runs from one sunrise to the next. The tithi (lunar day) in force at sunrise in Toronto can be different from the one in force at sunrise in Delhi. That's why festivals such as Diwali sometimes fall on a different date abroad.
- The rising sign depends on your location. Many muhurats rely on the lagna, the sign rising on the eastern horizon at that moment. It changes about every two hours and depends on your latitude and longitude.
- Rahu kaal (Rahu kalam) and other daily periods are calculated from local sunrise and sunset, so they move with your city and the season.
Converting an Indian time into your time zone doesn't fix this. The muhurat has to be worked out again for your city.
What goes into choosing a muhurat
An astrologer starts with the five parts of the panchang (pancha means five, anga means limb):
On top of that, they look at:
- the lagna at the chosen time;
- periods many families avoid for weddings and other beginnings, such as Chaturmas, Kharmas, and the times when Jupiter or Venus is combust;
- for some events, the birth charts of the people involved, such as the couple for a wedding;
- your practical limits: the venue, the priest, travel and work.
Traditions differ, for example on which nakshatras suit a griha pravesh. Tell us which tradition your family follows.
What to send
Griha pravesh for our new home in Brampton, Ontario. Any Saturday or Sunday between 1 March and 30 April 2027. My husband's birth details: 14 Aug 1988, 6:40 am, Pune.
Give a range, not one day. A window of a few weeks or months gives the astrologer room to find a good date that also works for your venue and family.
Ask early for weddings. Popular muhurat dates fill venues and priests' calendars quickly. See our festival calendar for the periods many families avoid.
How our muhurat service works
- Ask on WhatsAppMessage us and choose muhurat. The price is shown before you pay.
- Send the detailsAfter paying, send the details above.
- Get your dates in writingAn astrologer chooses suitable dates and times for your city and confirms them in writing, in your local time, within 3 days.
Price per event: US$45 · C$65 · A$69.
Asking questions on WhatsApp is free. You see the price before you book.
Common questions
Can't I just convert the India time to my time zone?
No. Sunrise, the tithi in force at sunrise and the rising sign all depend on where you are, so the muhurat has to be worked out again for your city. Sometimes the right day is different too, as in the Durga Ashtami example above.
How far ahead should we ask?
For weddings, as early as you can: popular dates fill venues and priests' calendars quickly. For a griha pravesh or naming ceremony, a few weeks is usually enough. A wider date range gives more good options.
We don't know the exact birth time. Can you still help?
Yes. Tell the astrologer what you know and how sure you are. Many muhurats depend mainly on the panchang for the day and place, and the astrologer will tell you if a missing time limits anything.
Can you work to our priest's or venue's timings?
Yes. Tell us their limits when you send the details, and the astrologer chooses within them.
A muhurat is traditional guidance for timing. It doesn't promise any outcome. See our disclaimer.
