Public holidays in India
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Public Holidays in India, also known as Government Holidays, consist of a variety of cultural, nationalistic, and religious holidays that are legislated in India at the union or state levels.
Being a culturally diverse country, there are many festivals celebrated in various regions across the country. There are only three national holidays declared by the Government of India: Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 October). Apart from this, certain holidays which are celebrated nationally are declared centrally by the Union Government. Additionally, various state governments and union territories designate additional holidays on local festivals or days of importance as holidays as per section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
National holidays
National holidays are mandatory holidays declared by the Government of India which is applicable for all states and union territories of India.
| Date | Name | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 January | Republic Day | Fixed (Indian Constitution came into force) | Celebrates the 1950 adoption of the Constitution of India |
| 15 August | Independence Day | Fixed (India Independence from the United Kingdom) | Celebrates the 1947 Independence from the British rule |
| 2 October | Gandhi Jayanti | Fixed (India; birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi) | Honors Mahatma Gandhi, who was born on 2 October 1869 |
Central holidays
In addition to the three fixed national holidays, the Union Government of India declares additional days as holidays which are largely followed by central government offices and affiliates. In addition to designated fixed holidays, few other days are designated optional from which select number of days can be chosen according to individual convenience.
Fixed
Source:
| Date | Name | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Fixed | Christian festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, central figure of Christianity (c. 6 to 4BC–30 or 33AD) whose birth is commemorated on 25 December |
| 12 Rabi' al-awwal | Mawlid | Muslim festival that celebrates the birth of Muhammad. It is celebrated in Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. | |
| 1 Shawwal | Eid al-Fitr | Muslim festival that celebrates of the day of breaking the fast. It is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar. | |
| 10 Muharram | Ashura | Muslims mourn the martydom of Husayn Ibn Ali, prophet Muhammad's family. Also marks parting of the Red Sea by Moses, salvation of the Israelites, Noah's disembarkment from the Ark. | |
| 10 Dhu al-Hijjah | Eid al-Adha | Muslim festival that honours the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, either Isaac or Ismail, as an act of obedience to God. | |
| March–April | Mahavir Janma Kalyanak | Floating | Jain festival that celebrates the birth of Mahavira (599 BC), the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara (supreme preacher) of present Avasarpiṇī |
| March–May | Good Friday | Christian festival that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus | |
| April–June | Buddha's Birthday | Buddhist festival that celebrates Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism (c. 563–483 BC). It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Vaisakha month of the Buddhist calendar. | |
| September–October | Vijayadashami | Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated on the tenth day of Ashvin, the seventh month in the Hindu Calendar Sikh festival called Dasehara. | |
| October–November | Diwali | Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated on the new moon day in the month of Ashvin or Kartika in the Hindu Calendar Sikh festival to celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas in remembrance of the release of Guru Hargobind from the Gwalior Fort prison by the Mughal emperor Jahangir and the day he arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. | |
| October–November | Guru Nanak's Birthday | Sikh festival that celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, (1469). |
Optional
Source:
| Date | Name | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Makar Sankranti / Pongal | Floating | Hindu festival marking the transition of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn and dedicated to the solar deity Surya. |
| January–February | Vasant Panchami | Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring and celebrated on the fifth day of Magha, the eleventh month of Hindu calendar | |
| February–March | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu festival to celebrate the wedding of Lord Shiva with Parvati, celebrated on the fourteenth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Phalguna or Magha in the Hindu calendar | |
| March | Nowruz | Celebrates the beginning of the Persian New Year | |
| March–April | Holi | Hindu festival of colors to celebrate the victory of good over evil (Specifically the death of the evil Holika, aunt of Prahlad, an ardent devotee of Vishnu) and arrival of spring, celebrated on full-moon day in the month of Phalguna in the Hindu calendar Sikh festival to celebrate with its historic texts referring to it as Hola. Guru Gobind Singh in addition to Holi created a three-day Hola Mohalla extension festival of martial arts. The extension started the day after the Holi festival in Anandpur Sahib, where Sikh soldiers would train in battles, compete in horsemanship, athletics, archery and military exercises. | |
| March–April | Rama Navami | Hindu festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama celebrated on the ninth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar | |
| March–April | Ugadi | Celebrates the beginning of the Telugu and Kannada New Year | |
| March–April | Cheti Chand | Celebrates the beginning of the Sindhi New Year | |
| April | Puthandu | Tamil festival It is the first day of the Tamil calendar and celebrates the beginning of the new year in Tamil Nadu. It is also celebrates the agrarian people and harvest on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai. | |
| April | Vishu | Celebrates the beginning of the Malayali New Year | |
| April | Vaisakhi | Sikh festival celebrates the beginning of the Solar new year in North India and spring harvest on the first day of the month of Vaisakh in the Punjabi calendar | |
| April | Bohag Bihu | Celebrates the beginning of the Assamese New Year | |
| April | Gudi Padwa | Celebrates the beginning of the Marathi and Konkani New Year | |
| June–July | Ratha Yatra | Hindu festival involving a public procession of chariots with the deities Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra celebrated in Ashadha month of Hindu calendar | |
| August–September | Krishna Janmashtami | Hindu festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna and celebrated on eighth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravana in the Hindu calendar | |
| August–September | Ganesh Chaturthi | Hindu festival as a tribute to Lord Ganesha, celebrated on the fourth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendar | |
| August–September | Onam | Hindu harvest festival celebrated by the people of Kerala commemorating the visit of Mahabali and celebrated in Chingam, the first month of Malayalam Calendar | |
| September–October | Navaratri | Hindu festival celebrating the first day of the Hindu Vikram Samvat calendar | |
| October–November | Chhath | Hindu harvest festival dedicated to Sun God Surya, celebrated in North and East India on the sixth day of the month of Kartika | |
| October–November | Karva Chauth | Hindu festival celebrated by women to pray for the longevity of their husbands, observed on the fourth day after the full moon in the month of Kartika |
Each year, central and state governments release lists of gazetted and restricted holidays. Comprehensive compiled lists are available online.
State holidays
In addition to the above, various state governments and union territories designate additional holidays on local festivals or days of importance as holidays as per section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
Harvest festivals
| Date | Name | Type | State/UT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 January | Bhogi | Fixed | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana |
| 13 January–14 January | Lohri | Floating | Punjab |
| 14 January–15 January | Magh Bihu | Fixed | Assam |
| 14 January | Maghi | Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Punjab | |
| 1 March | Chapchar Kut | Mizoram | |
| September–October | Wangala | Floating | Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland |
| October–November | Kati Bihu | Assam |
New year
| Date | Name | State/UT |
|---|---|---|
| 13 April–14 April | Bohag Bihu | Assam |
| March–April | Gudi Padwa | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Maharashtra |
| August | Losoong | Sikkim |
| February–March | Losar | Ladakh |
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve | Manipur |
| 13 April–14 April | Pana Sankranti | Odisha |
| 20 March–21 March | Parsi New Year | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Maharashtra |
| 14 April–15 April | Pohela Boishakh | Tripura, West Bengal |
| 13 April–14 April | Puthandu | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry |
| March–April | Sarhul | Jharkhand |
| March–April | Sajibu Nongma Panba | Manipur |
| March–April | Ugadi | Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana |
| 13 April–14 April | Vaisakhi | Jharkhand, Punjab |
| 14 April–15 April | Vishu | Kerala |
| October–November | Diwali | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |
State days
| Date | Name | State/UT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November | Andhra Pradesh Day | Andhra Pradesh |
| 20 February | Arunachal Pradesh Statehood Day | Arunachal Pradesh |
| 2 December | Asom Day | Assam |
| 22 March | Bihar Day | Bihar |
| 1 November | Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava | Chhattisgarh |
| 19 December | Goa Liberation Day | Goa |
| 1 May | Gujarat Day | Gujarat |
| 1 November | Haryana Day | Haryana |
| 15 April | Himachal Day | Himachal Pradesh |
| 15 April | West Bengal Day | West Bengal |
| 26 October | Jammu and Kashmir Accession day | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 1 November | Kannada Rajyothsava | Karnataka |
| 1 November | Kerala Day | Kerala |
| 1 May | Maharashtra Day | Maharashtra |
| 20 February | Mizoram State Day | Mizoram |
| 1 December | Nagaland State Inauguration Day | Nagaland |
| 1 April | Odisha Day | Odisha |
| 16 August | Puducherry De Jure Transfer Day | Puducherry |
| 1 November | Puducherry Liberation Day | Puducherry |
| 16 May | Sikkim State Day | Sikkim |
| 2 June | Telangana Formation Day | Telangana |
| 17 September | Hyderabad-Karnataka Liberation Day | Karnataka |
Birth and anniversary days
Religious days
Others
| Date | Name | State/UT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May | May Day | Assam, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Puducherry, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal |
| 6 July | MHIP day | Mizoram |
| 13 August | Patriot's day | Manipur |
| 24 April | Panchaytiraj Diwas | Odisha |
| 30 June | Remna Ni | Mizoram |
| 23 November | Seng Kut Snem | Mizoram |
| 15 June | YMA Day | Mizoram |
Others
Banks have specific holidays according to the various states or union territories in addition to every second and fourth Saturdays of the month. 1st April of every year is also a national bank holiday in India for annual closing of accounts as it is the first day of financial year. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions have specific term holidays according to the state or board.