Public holidays in India

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, mourning for the Prophet Muhammad's grandson is observed by some 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:

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^[1]. They are:

Date	English name
26 January	Republic Day
15 August	Independence Day
2 October	Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday

Buddhist holidays

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

Christian holidays

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

Hindu holidays

People celebrating Holi.

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:

Main article: Hindu festivals

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], Puduchery, Tamil Nadu[as Pongal], Rajasthan
Thiruvalluvar Day	Puduchery, 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	all states and territories except Goa, Punjab
Holi (Aka, Dol)	all states and territories except Karnataka, Kerala, Nagaland, Puduchery, 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, Puduchery, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
Onam	Kerala, Puduchery
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 observed for 3 days in Orissa, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura observed for 6 days in West Bengal 11th day Bhashani Utchhav in Orissa
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

Islamic holidays

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, Puduchery, 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

Jain holidays

Holiday	Observed in
Mahavir Jayanti	Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh

Parsee (Zoroastrian) holidays

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)	Maharashtra

Sikh holidays

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, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

Secular 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 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, Puduchery, 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, Puduchery, 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, Puduchery, 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

Issues with large number of holidays

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 chose 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^{[citation needed]}, and thus Indian Govt. continues with an unusually large number of religious holidays as compared to most other countries.

Holidays in government offices

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:

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

Apart from this local administration at district level also issue list of additional holidays known as local holidays, which are observed at district level.

Central government

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

Annexure I also known as Gazetted holidays, consists of list of holidays which are mandatory once decided.^[2] This list consists of two parts:

• Para 2
• Para 3.1

Para 2

It consists of holidays which have to be observed compulsorily across India.^[2] These holidays are:

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

Para 3.1

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]

1. An additional day for Dussehra
2. Holi
3. Janamashtami (Vaishanvi)
4. Ram Navami
5. Maha Shivratri
6. Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi
7. Makar Sankrantili
8. Rath Yatra
9. Onam

1. Sri Panchami / Basanta Panchami
2. Vishu / Vaisakhi / Vaisakhadi / Bhag Bihu / Mashadi Ugadi / Chaitra Sakladi / Cheti Chand / Gudi Pada 1st Navratra / Nauraj

Annexure II

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

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

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]

Indian missions abroad

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]

Banks

Main article: Bank holidays in India

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]

=

1. Bank's Holiday
2. Gandhi Jayanti
3. Maharaja Agresen Jayanti
4. Kashiram Death Anniversary
5. Dussehra (Maha Navami)
6. Dussehra (Vijay Dashami)
7. Deepawali
8. Deepawali (Govardhan Puja)
9. Bhai Duj/Chitragupt Jayanti
10. Eid al-Adha (Bakrid)
11. Guru Nanak's birthday/Kartik Poornima
12. Dr. B R. Ambedkar's Nirwan Diwas
13. Moharram
14. Christmas

Restricted holidays

1. New Year's Day
2. Guru Gobind Singh Ji Jayanti
3. Makar Sankaranti
4. Basanta Panchami
5. Guru Ravidas Jayanti
6. Chehalalum
7. Holi
8. Istar Satur-day
9. Istar Mon-day
10. Baishakhi
11. Janmashtami
12. Vishwakarma Pooja
13. Eid ul fitr
14. Anant chaturdasi
15. Dussehra (Maha Ashtami)
16. Maharshi Balmiki Jayanti
17. Deepawali (Narak Chaturdasi)
18. Eid ul Adha (bakrid)
19. Guru Teg Bahadur Shahid Diwas
20. Moharram
21. Christmas Eve

See also

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

References

1. ^ National Portal of India : Know India : AT A GLANCE
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Holidays to be observed in central government offices during the year

External links

• Dates of Public Holidays in India
• *List of Bank Holidays for the Year 2010 in India