India, being a culturally diverse and fervent society, celebrates various holidays and festivals. There are three national holidays in India: states and regions have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic demographics. Popular religious festivals include the Hindu festivals of Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Dussehra, Islamic festivals of Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Mawlid an-Nabī and Christian festivals of Christmas and days of observances such as Good Friday are observed throughout the country.
Muharram,the starting of the Islamic new year is observed by many sects of Islam. In addition, the Sikh festivals such as Guru Nanak Jayanti, the Christian festivals such as Christmas, Good Friday and Jain festivals like Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushan are celebrated in certain areas where these religions have a significant following.The annual holidays are widely observed by state and local governments; however, they may alter the dates of observance or add or subtract holidays according to local custom.
The following is a List of events that are declared public holidays in the calendar of Government of India or the States or both in some cases:
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National holidays are observed in all states and union territories.
India has three national days.[1] They are:
| Date | English name |
|---|---|
| 26 January | Republic Day |
| 15 August | Independence Day |
| 2 October | Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday |
| Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|
| Losar | Sikkim, Ladakh |
| Buddha Purnima | Andaman & Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh,Tripura, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
| Date | Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Thursday | all states and territories except Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tripura | |
| Good Friday | all states and territories except Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tripura | |
| Easter Sunday | all states and territories except Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tripura | |
| 3 December | St. Francis Xavier | Goa |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | all states and territories |
Hindus celebrate a number of festivals all through the year. From celebrating the advent of spring to celebrating the win of good over evil, Hindu religion and culture provide its followers endless reasons to celebrate. Given below is the list of just a few of these festivals that are celebrated with great zest and fervor.
For dates see:
| Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|
| Bhogi | Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu |
| Sankranti | Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam [as Magh Bihu (Sankranti)], Bihar [as Makar Sankranti], Gujarat [as Uttarayan], Karnataka, Orissa[as Makar Sankranti], Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu[as Pongal], Rajasthan |
| Thiruvalluvar Day | Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu |
| Uzhavar Thirunal (Farmers' Day) |
Tamil Nadu |
| Vasant Panchami/Saraswati Puja | Orissa, Tripura, West Bengal, Bihar |
| Maha Shivaratri | Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Haryana |
| Naag Panchami or Guga-Navami | all states and territories except Goa |
| Holi (Aka, Dol) | all states and territories except Karnataka, Kerala, Nagaland, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Tripura |
| Maharishi Parasuram Jayanti | Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh |
| Rath Jatra | Orissa |
| Raksha Bandhan (Aka, Rákhi Púrńimá) | Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana, Orissa |
| Krishna Janmashtami | Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal |
| Ganesh Chaturthi | Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka |
| Onam | Kerala, Pondicherry |
| Raja Parba | Orissa |
| Mahalaya | Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa |
| Dussehra (Aka, Durgá Pujá) | all states
observed for 2 days in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh |
| Lakshmi Puja / Kumara Purnima | Orissa, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura |
| Diwali (Aka, Káli Puja and Diipávali) | all states and territories observed for 2 days in Assam, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh |
| Hartalika Teej | Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh |
| Sharad Poornima | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhatisgarh |
| Bhai Duj (Aka, Bhái photá) | Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Jagaddhatri Puja | West Bengal |
| Visvakarma Puja | Orissa, West Bengal |
| Nuakhai | Orissa |
| Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|
| Day of Ashura 10th Day of Muharram |
Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka,Kerala Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand |
| Mawlid Eid-e-Milād-un-Nabī Baarah Wafaat Prophet's Birthday |
Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka,Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand |
| Shab-e-Barat Mid-Sha'ban |
Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jahrkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Birthday of Ali ibn Abi talib Terah Rajab Hazrat Ali |
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar |
| Jumat-ul-Wida Alvida Last Friday in Ramadan |
Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
| Eid ul-Fitr Eid End of Ramadan |
all states and territories |
| Eid al-Adha Bakr-Eid Feast of the Sacrifice |
all states and territories |
| Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|
| Mahavir Jayanti | Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
Note: The Parsis in India use a Shahenshahi calendar, unlike the Iranians who use a Kadmi calendar. The North Americans and European Parsis have adapted their own version of the Fasli calendar. This is however looked down upon by a lot of the Parsis in North America, who continue to use the Shahenshai calendar. These differences cause changes in the dates of the holidays. For example, the Zoroastrian New Year falls in the spring for the Iranians but in the summer for the Parsis
| Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|
| Nowruz (Parsee New Year) |
Gujarat, Maharashtra |
| Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|
| Guru Gobind Singh Ji Gurpurab | Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab |
| Ravidas' Birthday | Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab |
| Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji | Punjab |
| Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab | Andaman & Nicobar, Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal |
In addition to the official holidays, many religious, ethnic, and other traditional holidays populate the calendar, as well as observances proclaimed by officials and lighter celebrations. These are rarely observed by Central government and businesses as holidays.
| Date | Holiday | Observed in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Most of India |
| 23 January | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Birthday | Orissa, Tripura, West Bengal |
| 19 February | Maharaja Shivaji's Birthday | Maharashtra |
| 15 March | Kanshi Ram's Birthday | Uttar Pradesh |
| 22 March | Bihar Day | Bihar |
| 30 March | Rajasthan Day | Rajasthan |
| 1 April | Utkal Dibasa (Orissa day) |
Orissa |
| 14 April | Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's Birthday | Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
| 2nd Day of Chaitra, March–April | Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year) |
Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh |
| 1st Day of Chaitra, March–April | Gudi Padva (Marathi New Year) |
Goa, Maharashtra |
| 1st Day of Chaitra, March–April | Ugadi (Kannada and Telugu New Year) |
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu |
| 15 April | Bihu (Assamese New Year) |
Assam |
| 15 April | Maha Vishuva Sankranti / Pana Sankranti (Oriya New Year) |
Orissa |
| 15 April | Poylá Boishakh (Bengali New Year) |
Tripura, West Bengal |
| 15 April | Vishu & Varusha Purapu (Malayali & Tamil New Year) |
Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| 1 May | Labour Day | Assam, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal, Orissa |
| 1 May | Maharashtra Day | Maharashtra |
| 1 May | Gujarat Day | Gujarat |
| 16 May | Annexation Day | Sikkim |
| 15 June | Maharana Pratap Jayanti | Rajasthan |
| 26 October | Accession Day | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 1 November | Andhra Pradesh Foundation Day | Andhra Pradesh |
| Karnataka Foundation Day | Karnataka | |
| Kerala Foundation Day | Kerala | |
| Chhattisgarh Foundation Day | Chhattisgarh | |
| 5 November | Kanaka Jayanti | Karnataka |
| 7 December | Armed Forces Flag Day | Indian military |
While having so many Government Holidays keep in line with the idea of peaceful co-existence of all religions, there have been demands from various public bodies that the system of a multitude of religious holidays is hampering economic activities to a great extent. The past two Central Govt. Pay Commissions [1] have recommended the abolition of all Central Govt. Holidays on religious festivals, and instead, substitute with three national Holidays, i.e., Independence Day (15 August), Republic Day (26 January) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 October).
It was also recommended to increase the amount of existing Restricted Holidays (Optional Holidays) depending on one's religious persuasion from existing two to eight. The rationale being, 8 holidays can more than cater for the festivals of any particular religion. So there is no point in having more than these many number of holidays, since religion does not warrant a Hindu to celebrate Id or a Muslim to celebrate Diwali.
With the proposed system, however, it was left to the individual to choose which 8 Holidays to celebrate, irrespective of his religious belief. However, this recommendation has not been accepted by the Govt. of India, fearing a loss of popularity, and thus Indian Govt. continues with an unusually large number of religious holidays as compared to most other countries.
Central & State governments in India annually issue list of holidays to be observed in respective government offices during the respective year.[2] List is divided into two parts:
Apart from this local administration at district level also issue list of additional holidays known as local holidays, which are observed at district level.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel and Training) on behalf of Government of India issues list of holidays to be observed in central government offices during the respective year. The list is divided in two parts i.e. Annexure I & Annexure II.[2]
Annexure I also known as Gazetted holidays, consists of list of holidays which are mandatory once decided.[2] This list consists of two parts:
It consists of holidays which have to be observed compulsorily across India.[2] These holidays are:
In addition to the above 14 Compulsory holidays mentioned in para 2, three holidays are decided from the list indicated below by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee in the State Capitals (if necessary, in consultation with Coordination Committees at other places in the State). The final list is applicable uniformly to all Central Government offices within the concerned State shall. they are notified after seeking prior approval of this Ministry and no change can be carried out thereafter. No change is permissible in regard to festivals and dates.[2]
Annexure II also known as Restricted holidays, consists of list of holidays which are optional. Each employee is allowed to avail any two holidays to be chosen out of the list of Restricted Holidays. The Coordination Committees at the State Capitals draw up separate list of Restricted Holidays keeping in view the occasions of local importance but the 9 occasions left over, after choosing the 3 variable holidays in para 3.1, are to be included in the list of restricted holidays.[2]
Central Government Organisations which include industrial, commercial and trading establishments observe up to 16 holidays in a year including three national holidays viz. Republic Day, Independence Day and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, as compulsory holidays. The remaining holidays / occasions may be determined by such establishments / organisations themselves, subject to para 3.2.[2]
Union Territory Administrations decide the list of holidays in terms of Ministry of Home Affairs letter No.14046/27 /83- GP-I dated 15 February 1984 by which they observe a total of 16 holidays including the three National Holidays viz. Republic Day, Independence Day & Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.[2]
In respect of Indian Missions abroad, the number of holidays are notified in accordance with the instructions contained in Department of Personnel and Training's O.M. No.12/5/2002-JCA dated 17 December 2002. In other words, they have the option to select 11(Eleven) holidays of their own only after including in the list, three National Holidays and Milad-Un-Nabi or Id-E-Milad, Mahavir Jayanti, Idu'l Fitr, Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami), Guru Nanak's Birthday, Christmas Day included in the list of compulsory holidays and falling on days of weekly off.[2]
In respect of Banks, the holidays are restricted to 15 days in a year in terms of the instructions issued by the Department of Economic Affairs (BankingDivision).[2]
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