HSL.
Sign in

Poya Days 2027 and 2026 in Sri Lanka - Dates, Weekdays and the Next Poya

All Poya days of 2026 and 2027 in Sri Lanka with their names and weekdays, the next Poya day and how many days are left.

Maintained by Hirantha Sandaruwan Lakshan. Rules checked 13 October 2026 against Central Bank of Sri Lanka: bank holidays for 2026 and 5 more sources.

About this tool

See the next Poya day and how many days are left, then the full list for 2026 and 2027. There are 12 Poya days in 2027 and 13 in 2026, because 2026 has an extra one, Adhi Poson. Every date below is a public and bank holiday in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka's lists, with its name and the day of the week.

How it works

A Poya day is the monthly full moon holiday in Sri Lanka. Each one has its own name. In 2026 and 2027 the twelve regular Poya days fall in the twelve calendar months in this order: Duruthu in January, then Navam, Medin, Bak, Vesak, Poson, Esala, Nikini, Binara, Vap, Il and Unduvap in December. The official list calls the extra Poya of 2026 Adhi Poson.

The dates come from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka's bank-holiday lists for 2026 and 2027. The Daily Mirror reported on 6 July 2026 that the 2027 holidays were published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2493/05 under the Holidays Act, No. 29 of 1971. The Poya days on this page are the same data the Sri Lanka holidays page uses, so the two always agree.

The holiday date is the one in the gazette, and it is not always the calendar date of the exact full moon. Comparing the 25 dates here with the full moon times published by NASA, 10 fall on the same date in Colombo (UTC+5:30) as the exact full moon and 15 fall on the day before. For example the exact full moon of 20 May 2027 is at 16:29 Colombo time, but Vesak Poya is gazetted for Wednesday 19 May 2027. Use the gazetted date.

Today is the date in Sri Lanka (Asia/Colombo, UTC+5:30, which has no daylight saving), so the countdown does not change with your own time zone. It counts calendar days and shows 0 on the Poya day itself. The lists used cover 2026 and 2027 only, so no Poya after the last one in 2027 is shown.

Worked examples

Planning around Vesak 2027

Vesak Poya is Wednesday 19 May 2027. The day after, Thursday 20 May 2027, is also a public holiday in the list, so the two holidays run back to back.

Why 2026 has 13 Poya days

Adhi Poson Poya is Saturday 30 May 2026, a month before the regular Poson Poya on Monday 29 June 2026. That extra Poya makes 13 for 2026 against 12 for 2027.

Poya days that fall at the weekend

In 2027, 3 of the 12 Poya days fall on a Saturday or Sunday (20 February, 18 July, 13 November), which leaves 9 on weekdays.

Poya days in Sri Lanka, 2026 and 2027

DateDayPoyaNotes
3 January 2026SaturdayDuruthuNone
1 February 2026SundayNavamNone
2 March 2026MondayMedinNone
1 April 2026WednesdayBakNone
1 May 2026FridayVesakSame day as May Day (International Workers' Day). The next day, Saturday 2 May 2026, is also a public holiday.
30 May 2026SaturdayAdhi PosonThe extra Poya of 2026. The regular Poson Poya follows on Monday 29 June 2026.
29 June 2026MondayPosonNone
29 July 2026WednesdayEsalaNone
27 August 2026ThursdayNikiniNone
26 September 2026SaturdayBinaraNone
25 October 2026SundayVapNone
24 November 2026TuesdayIlNone
23 December 2026WednesdayUnduvapNone
22 January 2027FridayDuruthuNone
20 February 2027SaturdayNavamNone
22 March 2027MondayMedinNone
20 April 2027TuesdayBakNone
19 May 2027WednesdayVesakThe next day, Thursday 20 May 2027, is also a public holiday.
18 June 2027FridayPosonNone
18 July 2027SundayEsalaNone
16 August 2027MondayNikiniNone
15 September 2027WednesdayBinaraNone
15 October 2027FridayVapNone
13 November 2027SaturdayIlNone
13 December 2027MondayUnduvapNone

Frequently asked questions

What is the next Poya day?

The tool at the top shows it with a countdown, using today's date in Sri Lanka. The last Poya on the list is Unduvap on Monday 13 December 2027, because the lists used here cover 2026 and 2027 only.

How many Poya days are there in 2027?

12, one in each month, from Duruthu on Friday 22 January 2027 to Unduvap on Monday 13 December 2027. 2026 has 13, because Adhi Poson on Saturday 30 May 2026 is an extra one.

Is a Poya day always on the date of the full moon?

Not always. The holiday date is the gazetted one. Against NASA's full moon times, 10 of the 25 Poya days in 2026 and 2027 are on the same Colombo date as the exact full moon and 15 are one day earlier. Plan around the gazetted date, not the astronomical moment.

Is the day after Vesak Poya a holiday too?

Yes, in both lists. The day following Vesak Poya is listed as a public holiday: Saturday 2 May 2026 in 2026 and Thursday 20 May 2027 in 2027. In 2026 Vesak Poya also falls on 1 May, which is May Day.

Are shops and bars open on a Poya day?

Many businesses close. Wikipedia's article on Poya says shops and businesses are generally closed on Poya days and that the sale of alcohol and meat is forbidden. The holiday lists themselves do not set trading rules, so check with the business or the authority concerned.

Can the Poya dates change?

Yes. The gazette can be amended by notification, so the dates here are the gazetted ones when this page was last checked, on 13 October 2026. The Central Bank's pages, linked below, are the first place to look for a change.

Updated Oct 13, 2026