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Public Holidays in India, also known asGovernment Holidays, consist of a variety of cultural, nationalistic, and religiousholidays that are legislated inIndia at theunion orstate 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 theGovernment of India:Republic Day (26 January),Independence Day (15 August) andGandhi 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 theNegotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
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National holidays are mandatory holidays declared by theGovernment of India which is applicable for allstates and union territories of India.[1]
| Date | Name | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 January | Republic Day | Fixed (Indian Constitution came into force) | Celebrates the 1950 adoption of theConstitution of India[2] |
| 14 April | Ambedkar Jayanti | Fixed (birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar) | HonorsB. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956), the father of the Indian Constitution, who was born on 14 April 1891[3] |
| 15 August | Independence Day | Fixed (India Independence from theUnited Kingdom) | Celebrates the 1947 Independence from theBritish rule[4] |
| 2 October | Gandhi Jayanti | Fixed (India; birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi) | HonorsMahatma Gandhi, who was born on 2 October 1869[5] |
In addition to the four 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.
Source:[6]
| Date | Name | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| March–April | Eid al-Fitr | Floating | Muslim festival that celebrates of the day of breaking the fast. It is celebrated on the first day ofShawwal in theIslamic calendar.[7] |
| March–April | Mahavir Janma Kalyanak | Floating | Jain festival that celebrates the birth ofMahavira (599 BC), the twenty-fourth and lastTirthankara (supreme preacher) of presentAvasarpiṇī[8] |
| March–May | Good Friday | Floating | Christian festival that commemorates thecrucifixion of Jesus[9] |
| April–June | Buddha's Birthday | Floating | Buddhist festival that celebratesGautama Buddha, founder ofBuddhism (c. 563–483 BC). It is celebrated on thefull moon day of the Vaisakha month of the Buddhist calendar.[10] |
| June | Eid al-Adha | Floating | Muslim festival that honours the willingness ofAbrahamto sacrifice his son, eitherIsaac orIsmail, as an act of obedience toGod.[11] |
| July–August | Ashura | Floating | Muslims mourn the martydom ofHusayn Ibn Ali, prophetMuhammad's family. Also marksparting of the Red Sea byMoses, salvation of theIsraelites,Noah's disembarkment from theArk. |
| September | Mawlid | Floating | Muslim festival that celebrates the birth of Muhammad. It is celebrated inRabi' al-Awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.[12] |
| September–October | Vijayadashami | Floating | Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated on the tenth day ofAshvin, the seventh month in theHindu Calendar[13]Sikh festival called Dasehara. |
| October–November | Diwali | Floating | Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated on thenew moon day in the month of Ashvin orKartika in the Hindu Calendar[14]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 | Floating | Sikh festival that celebrates the birth of the firstSikh guru, (1469).[15] |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Fixed | Christian festival that celebrates the birth ofJesus Christ, central figure ofChristianity (c. 6 to 4BC–30 or 33AD) whose birth is commemorated on 25 December[16] |
Source:[6]
| Date | Name | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Makar Sankranti /Pongal | Floating | Hindu festival marking the transition of the sun fromSagittarius toCapricorn and dedicated to the solar deitySurya.[17] |
| January–February | Vasant Panchami | Floating | Hindu festival dedicated to GoddessSaraswati, that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring and celebrated on thefifth day ofMagha, the eleventh month of Hindu calendar |
| February–March | Maha Shivaratri | Floating | Hindu festival to celebrate the wedding of LordShiva withParvati, celebrated on thefourteenth day of Krishna Paksha in the month ofPhalguna orMagha in the Hindu calendar[18] |
| March | Nowruz | Floating | Celebrates the beginning of the Persian New Year |
| March–April | Holi | Floating | Hindu festival of colors to celebrate the victory of good over evil (Specifically the death of the evilHolika, aunt ofPrahlad, an ardent devotee ofVishnu) and arrival ofspring, celebrated onfull-moon day in the month ofPhalguna in the Hindu calendar[19]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 | Floating | Hindu festival to celebrate the birth of LordRama celebrated on theninth day ofShukla Paksha in the month ofChaitra in the Hindu calendar |
| March–April | Ugadi | Floating | Celebrates the beginning of theTelugu andKannada New Year |
| March–April | Cheti Chand | Floating | Celebrates the beginning of theSindhi New Year |
| April | Puthandu | Floating | 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 | Floating | Celebrates the beginning of theMalayali New Year[20] |
| April | Vaisakhi | Floating | Sikh festival celebrates the beginning of the Solar new year in North India and spring harvest on the first day of the month ofVaisakh in the Punjabi calendar |
| April | Bohag Bihu | Floating | Celebrates the beginning of theAssamese New Year |
| April | Gudi Padwa | Floating | Celebrates the beginning of theMarathi andKonkani New Year |
| June–July | Ratha Yatra | Floating | Hindu festival involving a public procession ofchariots with the deitiesJagannath,Balarama andSubhadra celebrated inAshadha month of Hindu calendar |
| August–September | Krishna Janmashtami | Floating | Hindu festival to celebrate the birth of LordKrishna and celebrated oneighth day ofKrishna Paksha in the month ofShravana in the Hindu calendar |
| August–September | Ganesh Chaturthi | Floating | Hindu festival as a tribute to LordGanesha, celebrated on thefourth day of Krishna Paksha in the month ofBhadrapada in the Hindu calendar[21] |
| August–September | Onam | Floating | Hindu harvest festival celebrated by the people ofKerala commemorating the visit of Mahabali and celebrated in Chingam, the first month ofMalayalam Calendar |
| September–October | Navaratri | Floating | Hindu festival celebrating the first day of the HinduVikram Samvat calendar |
| October–November | Chhath | Floating | 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 | Floating | 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.[22]
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 theNegotiable Instruments Act, 1881.[1]
| 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 | Fixed | Haryana,Himachal Pradesh,Jammu,Punjab |
| 1 March | Chapchar Kut | Fixed | Mizoram |
| September–October | Wangala | Floating | Assam,Meghalaya,Nagaland |
| October–November | Kati Bihu | Floating | Assam |
| 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,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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Banks have specific holidays according to the various states or union territories in addition to every second and fourth Saturdays of the month.[24] 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.[25]Schools, colleges and other educational institutions have specific term holidays according to the state or board.
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