Public holidays in India

India, being a culturally diverse society, celebrates many holidays and festivals, but there are only three national holidays: Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 October).[1][2]

States have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic demographics. Popular Hindu festivals of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Maha Shivratri, Onam, Janmashtami, Saraswati Puja, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali; Jain festivals are Mahavir Janma Kalyanak and Paryushan; Sikh festivals like Guru Nanak Jayanti and Vaisakhi; Muslim festivals of Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Mawlid, Muharram; Buddhist festivals like Ambedkar Jayanti, Buddha Jayanti, Dhammachakra Pravartan Day and Losar; Parsi Zoroastrian holidays such as Nowruz, and Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter as well as days of observances such as Good Friday are observed throughout India.

National holidays

Soldiers of the Madras Regiment during the annual Republic Day Parade in 2004

National holidays are observed in all states and union territories.

India has three national days.

They are:

Date	English name	Commemorates
26 January	Republic Day	Adoption of the Constitution of India[3] (1950)
15 August	Independence Day	Independence from the British Empire (1947)
2 October	Gandhi Jayanti	Birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869)

Religious holidays

In India, people from various religions coexist together. People from different religions celebrate their festivals. It is not that a particular festival is celebrated by the people of only a particular religion but, people from other religions also play a great role in the celebration of the festival of other religions.

Hindu holidays

People celebrating Holi in Delhi.

Hindus celebrate a number of festivals all through the year. Hindu festivals have one or more of religious, mythological and seasonal significance. The observance of the festival, the symbolisms used and attached, and the style and intensity of celebration vary from region to region within the country. A list of the more popular festivals is given below.

Holiday	Observed in
Bhogi/Lohri	Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra (as Bhogi), Punjab (as Lohri)
Makar Sankranti/Maghi/Magh Bihu/Pongal	Andaman & Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam (as Magh Bihu), Gujarat (as Uttarayan), Karnataka, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, West Bengal (as Makar Sankranti), Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (as Sangrand), Rajasthan (as Makar Sankranti), Pongal / Tamilar Thirunaal (Tamil Nadu)
Vishu	Kerala, Tamil Nadu
Vasant Panchami (Aka, Saraswati Puja)	Telangana, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra
Ratha Saptami	Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka
Maha Shivaratri	Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
Holi (aka, Dol)	All states and territories except Kerala, Nagaland, Mizoram, Goa, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Dhulivandan	Maharashtra[4]
Gudhi Padwa/Ugadi/Puthandu	Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu
Ram Navami	Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Hanuman Jayanti	Maharashtra, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh (as Bada Mangal), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Akshaya Tritiya/Maharishi Parashurama Jayanti	Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh
Rath Jatra	Odisha, Gujarat
Nag Panchami or Guga-Navami	All states and territories except Goa
Raksha Bandhan (Aka, Rákhi Pourńimá)	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana.
Krishna Janmashtami (a.k.a. Gokulashtami)	Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal
Ganesh Chaturthi (a.k.a. Ganeshotsav)	Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab
Raja Parba	Odisha
Mahalaya	Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha
Dussehra/Durga Puja	All states and territories (holiday for 2 days in Andhra Pradesh, mainly in Telangana (after Bathukamma), Bihar, Kerala, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh; holiday for 3 days in Odisha, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura holiday for 6 days in West Bengal; 11th day Bhashani Utchhav in Odisha)
Kumara Purnima (a.k.a. Kojaagari Pornima)	Maharashtra (as Kojaagari Pornima), Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal
Diwali (Deepavali and Diipávali)	All states and territories (observed for 2 days in Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka and Odisha; observed for 5 days in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and Delhi; observed for 6 days in Maharashtra)
	Vasu Baras (a.k.a. Govatsa Dwadashi) – Maharashtra
	Dhanteras (a.k.a. Dhanatrayodashi) – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar
	Naraka Chaturdashi – all states except Tamil Nadu
	Lakshmi Puja – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Tripura, Telangana
	Balipratipada, Govardhan Puja– all states except Tamil Nadu
Bhai Duj (Aka, Bhau-beej, Yama Dwitiya, Bhai Phota)	Maharashtra, Goa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, .
Devotthan Ekadashi	Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and some parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
Hartalika Teej	Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
Jagaddhatri Puja	West Bengal
Vishwakarma Puja	Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal.
Nuakhai	Odisha
Chhath Puja	Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh
Bathukamma	Telangana
Bonalu	Telangana

Islamic holidays

Mawlid or Eid-e-Milād-un-Nabī being celebrated in a town in Uttar Pradesh.

Holiday	Day and month of Hijri	Observed in
Day of Ashura	10th Muharram. Death of Imam Hussain ibn Ali	All states and territories
Mawlid	Rabi' al-awwal	All states and territories
Birthday of Ali ibn Abi Talib	Terah Rajab Hazrat Ali	Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
Shab-e-Barat	Mid-Sha'ban	Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
Jumat-ul-Wida Alvida	Last Friday in Ramadan	Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh
Eid ul-Fitr	End of Ramadan	All states and territories
Eid-e-Ghadeer	18 Dhu al-Hijjah	Telangana
Eid al-Adha	10 Dhu al-Hijjah	All states and territories[5]

Sikh holidays

A number of Sikh holidays are Gurpurbs, anniversaries of a guru's birth or death; marked by the holding of a festival.

Holiday	Observed in
Guru Gobind Singh Ji Gurpurab	Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji	Punjab
Vaisakhi	Andaman & Nicobar, Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Guru Nanak Gurpurab	Andaman & Nicobar, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu

Christian holidays

Shops selling Christmas decorations in Kolkata.

Holiday	Observed in
New Year's Day	All states and territories
Palm Sunday	All states and territories
Maundy Thursday	Meghalaya, Mizoram and Goa
Good Friday	All states and territories
Easter Sunday	All states and territories
Feast of Pentecost	All states and territories
Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle	Kerala
Fest of St. Theresa of Calcutta	West Bengal
Feast of the Blessed Virgin	Goa and Parts of Karnataka
All Saints Day	Karnataka
All Souls Day	Mizoram
Feast of St. Francis Xavier	Goa
Christmas Day	All states and territories
Boxing Day	Telangana[6]
Feast of Holy Family	Meghalaya

Buddhist holidays

Holiday	Observed in
Buddha Purnima	Andaman & Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Punjab
Dhammachakra Pravartan Day	Maharashtra
Losar	Sikkim, Ladakh

Jain holidays

Holiday	Observed in
Mahavir Janma Kalyanak	Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Paryushan	Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,

Parsee (Zoroastrian) holidays

The Parsis in India use a Shahenshahi calendar, unlike the Iranian Zoroastrians who use a Kadmi calendar. The North American and European Parsis have adapted their own version of the Fasli calendar. This is, however, is looked down upon by many of the Parsis, who continue to use the Shahenshai calendar. These differences cause changes in the dates of the holidays. For example, the Zoroastrian New Year, Nowruz, falls in the spring for the Iranians but in the summer for the Parsis.

Holiday	Observed in
Nowruz (Parsee New Year)	Gujarat, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Punjab

Ravidassia holidays

Holiday	Observed in
Guru Ravidass Jayanti	Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh.

Ayyavazhi holidays

The Masi Procession to Swamithope Pathi during Ayya Vaikunda Avatar

Holiday	Observed in
Ayya Vaikunda Avataram	Tamil Nadu[7]

Traditional holidays

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.

Date	Holiday	Observed in
1 January	New Year's Day	Most of India
13–17 January	Pongal	Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu
14 January	Uttarayan	Gujarat
23 January	Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Jayanti	Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam 30 January Mahatma Gandhi's Death Anniversary
August or September	Onam	Kerala, Pondicherry
19 February	Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti	Maharashtra
20 February	Arunachal Pradesh (statehood day)
1st Day of Chithirai, March/April	Vishu / Varusha Pirappu or Puthandu (Malayali and Tamil New Year)	Kerala, Tamil Nadu
2nd Day of Chaitra, March/April	Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year)	Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
15 March	Kanshi Ram's Jayanti	Uttar Pradesh
22 March	Bihar Day	Bihar
30 March	Rajasthan Day	Rajasthan
1 April	Utkala Dibasa (Odisha day)	Odisha
14 April	Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's Jayanti	Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
14/15 April	Puthandu (Tamil New Year)	Tamil Nadu
14/15 April	Pohela Boishakh (Bengali New Year)	Tripura, West Bengal
15 April	Bihu (Assamese New Year)	Assam
15 April	Maha Vishuva Sankranti / Pana Sankranti (Odia New Year)	Odisha
1 May	Labour Day[8][9]	Telangana, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha, Rajasthan, Punjab
1 May	Maharashtra Day	Maharashtra
1 May	Gujarat Day	Gujarat
9 May	Rabindra Jayanti	West Bengal
16 May	Annexation Day	Sikkim
2 June	Telangana Formation Day	Telangana
15 June	Maharana Pratap Jayanti	Rajasthan
Purnima of Ashvin	Valmiki Jayanti	Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka
26 October	Accession Day	Jammu and Kashmir
31 October	Sardar Patel Jayanti	Gujarat
1 November	Karnataka Rajyotsava	Karnataka
1 November	Andhra Pradesh Foundation Day	Andhra Pradesh
1 November	Haryana Foundation Day	Haryana
1 November	Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day	Madhya Pradesh
1 November	Kerala Foundation Day	Kerala
1 November	Chhattisgarh Foundation Day	Chhattisgarh
3rd day of Kartika Krishna Paksha	Kanaka Jayanti	Karnataka
7 December	Armed Forces Flag Day	Indian military

The large number of holidays

While having so many government holidays is 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 Government Pay Commissions have recommended the abolition of all Central Government holidays on religious festivals, and instead, substituting them with the three national holidays, i.e., Independence Day (15 August), Republic Day (26 January) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 October).

Increasing the number of restricted holidays (optional holidays), depending on one's religious persuasion, from the existing two to eight was also proposed, the rationale being that eight holidays can more than cater to the festivals of any particular religion. So, there is no point in having more than that number of holidays since religion does not warrant a Hindu to celebrate Eid or a Muslim to celebrate Diwali.

With the proposed system, however, it was left to the individual to choose which eight holidays to celebrate, irrespective of his religious belief. This recommendation has not been accepted by the government of India, fearing a loss of popularity, thus the Indian government continues with an unusually large number of religious holidays as compared to most other countries.

Holidays in government offices

Central and State governments in India issue annually a list of holidays to be observed in the respective government offices during the year.[10] The list is divided into two parts:

• Gazetted holidays (Annexure I)
• Restricted holidays (Annexure II)

In addition, local administrations also issue a list of holidays, known as local holidays, which are observed at the district level.

Central government

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel and Training) on behalf of the Government of India issues a list of holidays to be observed in central government offices during the year. The list is divided in two parts i.e. Annexure I & Annexure

Annexure I

Annexure I, also known as Gazetted holidays, consists of a list of holidays that are mandatory once decided.[10] This list consists of two parts:

• Paragraph 2
• Paragraph 3.1

Paragraph 2

It consists of holidays that are observed compulsorily across India.[10] These holidays are:

1. Republic Day
2. Independence Day
3. Gandhi Jayanti
4. Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
5. Buddha Purnima
6. Christmas Day
7. Dussehra
8. Diwali (Deepavali)
9. Good Friday
10. Guru Nanak's Birthday
11. Eid ul-Fitr
12. Eid al-Adha (Bakrid)
13. Muharram
14. Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Id-e-Milad)

so all the holidays are there

Paragraph 3.1

In addition to the 14 compulsory holidays mentioned in paragraph 2, three holidays are chosen from the list below by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee in the respective state capitals (if necessary, in consultation with Coordination Committees at other places in the State). The final list is applied uniformly across all Central Government offices within each state. They are notified after seeking the prior approval of the ministry, and no changes can be made thereafter. No change is permissible in regard to festivals and dates.[10]

1. An additional day for Dasahara
2. Holi
3. Janamashtami (Vaishanvi)
4. Ram Navami
5. Maha Shivratri
6. Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayak Chaturthi
7. Makar Sankrantili
8. Onam
9. Sri Panchami/Basanta Panchami
10. Vishu/Vaisakhi/Vaisakhadi/Bhag Bihu/Mashadi Ugadi/Chaitra Sakladi/Cheti Chand/Gudhi Pada 1st Navratra/Nauraj

Annexure II

Annexure II also known as Restricted holidays, consists of a list of holidays which are optional. Each employee is allowed to choose any two holidays from the list of Restricted Holidays. The Coordination Committees at the State Capitals draw up a separate list of Restricted Holidays, keeping in mind the occasions of local importance, but the nine occasions left over, after choosing the three variable holidays in paragraph 3.1, are included in the list of restricted holidays.[10]

Central government organisations

Central Government Organisations, which include industrial, commercial and trading establishments, observe up to 16 holidays per 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 paragraph 3.2.[10]

Union territory administrations

Union territory administrations decide the list of holidays based on 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 and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.[10]

Indian missions abroad

In respect of Indian missions abroad, the number of holidays is determined in accordance with the instructions contained in the Department of Personnel and Training's O.M. No.12/5/2002-JCA dated 17 December 2002. They have the option to select 11 (eleven) holidays of their own only after including the three National Holidays and Diwali, Milad-Un-Nabi or Id-E-Milad, Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, Idu'l Fitr, Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami), Guru Nanak's Birthday, Christmas Day as compulsory holidays falling on weekdays.[10]

Banks

Main article: Bank holidays in India

In respect to banks, the holidays are restricted to 15 days per year in terms of the instructions issued by the Department of Economic Affairs (Banking Division).[10]

1. Bank Holiday
2. Gandhi Jayanti
3. Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
4. Maharaja Agresen Jayanti
5. Kashiram Death Anniversary
6. Dussehra (Maha Navami)
7. Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami)
8. Dusshera (Maha Navaratri, Durgotsava, Durga Ashtami, Durga Ashtami)
9. Deepawali
10. Deepawali (Govardhan Puja)
11. Bhai Duj/Chitragupt Jayanti
12. Eid al-Adha (Bakrid)
13. Guru Nanak's birthday/Kartik Poornima
14. Dr. B R. Ambedkar's Nirwan Diwas
15. Moharram
16. Christmas
17. New Year's Day
18. International Women's Day
19. Gudhi Padwa
20. Guru Gobind Singh Ji Gurpurab
21. Makar Sankaranti
22. Basanta Panchami
23. Guru Ravidas Jayanti
24. Chehalum
25. Holi
26. Easter Saturday
27. Easter Monday
28. Baishakhi
29. Janmashtami
30. Vishwakarma Pooja
31. Eid ul fitr
32. Ganesh Chaturthi
33. Anant chaturdasi
34. Dussehra (Maha Ashtami)
35. Maharshi Balmiki Jayanti
36. Deepawali (Narak Chaturdasi)
37. Eid ul Adha (Bakrid)
38. Guru Teg Bahadur Shahid Diwas
39. Moharram
40. Christmas

See also

• Bank holidays in India
• Indian New Year's days
• List of Hindu festivals
• List of Sikh festivals

References

1. "National holidays". Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
2. "National and Public holidays". Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
3. "Introduction to Constitution of India". Ministry of Law and Justice of India. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
4. "पुढच्या वर्षी सुट्टयांचा पाऊस; १६ लॉन्ग विकेंड-Maharashtra Times". https://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019. External link in |website= (help)
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. Dec.26 declared public holiday
7. Thousands take part in Ayya Vaikundar Avatar day - The Hindu Archived 11 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine, India's National Daily, 04-03-2012, ' " The government had also declared a restricted holiday on Saturday, for the first time, in the State in view of Ayya Vaikundar Avatar day. " '
8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
10. Holidays to be observed in central government offices during 2017 Archived 12 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine Note a new version of this document is released each year, and old versions may not be available beyond one or two years previous. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

• Holidays to be observed in Central Government Offices during the year 2020 Government Holidays