Public holidays in India

Public Holidays in India also known as Government Holidays colloquially, 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 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 Government of India which is applicable for all states and union territories of India.

National holidays^[1]
Date	Name	Type	Details
January 26	Republic Day	fixed	Celebrates the 1950 adoption of the Constitution of India^[2]
August 15	Independence Day	fixed	Celebrates the 1947 Independence from the British rule^[3]
October 2	Gandhi Jayanti	fixed	Honors Mahatma Gandhi, father of the nation, who was born on October 2, 1869^[4]

Central holidays

In additional to the three fixed national holidays, 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

Central holidays:Fixed^[5]
Date	Name	Type	Details
April–May	Buddha Purnima	Floating	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.^[6]
December 25	Christmas Day	Fixed	Christian festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, central figure of Christianity (c. 6to4BC–30or33AD) whose birth is commemorated on December 25^[7]
September–October	Dussehra (Vijayadashami)	Floating	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^[8]
October–November	Diwali	Floating	Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated on the new moon day in the month of Ashvin or Kartika in the Hindu Calendar^[9]
April	Good Friday	Floating	Christian festival that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus^[10]
October–November	Guru Nanak's Birthday	Floating	Sikh festival that celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, (1469).^[11]
March–April	Eid ul-Fitr	Floating	Muslim festival that celebrates of the day of breaking the fast. It is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar.^[12]
June	Eid-ul Adha	Floating	Muslim festival that honours the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, either Isaac or Ismail, as an act of obedience to God.^[13]
March–April	Mahavir Jayanti	Floating	Jain festival that celebrates the birth of Mahavira (599 BC), the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara (supreme preacher) of present Avasarpiṇī^[14]
July–August	Muharram	Floating	Muslims mourn the killing 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.
September	Mawlid	Floating	Muslim festival that celebrates the birth of Muhammad. It is celebrated in Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.^[15]

Optional

Central holidays:Optional^[5]
Date	Name	Type	Details
March–April	Holi	Floating	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^[16]
August–September	Krishna Janmastami	Floating	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
March–April	Ram Navami	Floating	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
February–March	Maha Shivaratri	Floating	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^[17]
August–September	Ganesh Chaturthi	Floating	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^[18]
January	Makar Sankranti / Pongal	Floating	Hindu festival marking the transition of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn and dedicated to the solar deity Surya.^[19]
June–July	Rath Yatra	Floating	Hindu festival involving a public procession of chariots with the deities Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra celebrated in Ashadha month of Hindu calendar
August–September	Onam	Floating	Hindu harvest festival celebrated by the people of Kerala commemorating the visit of Mahabali and celebrated in Chingam, the first month of Malayalam Calendar
January–February	Basant Panchami	Floating	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
April	Vishu	Floating	Celebrates the beginning of the Malayali New Year^[20]
April	Vaisakhi	Floating	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 Hindu calendar
April	Bohag Bihu	Floating	Celebrates the beginning of the Assamese New Year
April	Ugadi	Floating	Celebrates the beginning of the Telugu and Kannada New Year
April	Cheti Chand	Floating	Celebrates the beginning of the Sindhi New Year
April	Gudi Padwa	Floating	Celebrates the beginning of the Marathi and Konakani New Year
March	Nauroz	Floating	Celebrates the beginning of the Persian New Year
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
September–October	Navratri	Floating	Hindu festival celebrating the first day of the Hindu Vikram Samvat calendar
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

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.^[1]

Harvest festivals

State holidays:Harvest festivals^[21]
Date	Name	State/UT
January 13–January 14	Bhogi	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala
March 6	Chapchar Kut	Mizoram
January 16–January 17	Kanum Pongal	Tamil Nadu
October–November	Kati Bihu	Assam
January 13–January 14	Lohri	Punjab
January 14–January 15	Magh Bihu	Assam
January 14–January 15	Maghi	Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Punjab
January 14–January 15	Sankranti	Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Sikkim, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Punjab, West Bengal
August–September	Onam	Kerala
January 14–January 15	Pongal	Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
August–September	Thiruvonam	Kerala
January 15–January 16	Uzhavar Thirunal	Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
September–October	Wangala	Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland

New year

State holidays:New year's days^[21]
Date	Name	State/UT
April 13–April 14	Bohag Bihu	Assam
March–April	Gudi Padwa	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Maharashtra
August	Losoong	Sikkim
February–March	Losar	Ladakh
January 1	New Year's Day	Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tamil Nadu
December 31	New Year's Eve	Manipur
April 13–April 14	Pana Sankranti	Odisha
March 20–March 21	Parsi New Year	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Maharashtra
April 14–April 15	Pohela Boishakh	Tripura, West Bengal
April 13–April 14	Puthandu	Tamil Nadu
March–April	Sarhul	Jharkhand
March–April	Sajibu Nongma Panba	Manipur
March–April	Ugadi	Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana
April 13–April 14	Vaisakhi	Jharkhand, Punjab
April 14–April 15	Vishu	Kerala
November	Vikram Samvant New Year	Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

State days

State holidays:State days^[21]
Date	Name	State/UT
November 1	Andhra Pradesh Day	Andhra Pradesh
February 20	Arunachal Pradesh Statehood Day	Arunachal Pradesh
December 2	Asom Day	Assam
March 22	Bihar Day	Bihar
November 1	Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava	Chhattisgarh
December 19	Goa Liberation Day	Goa
May 2	Gujarat Day	Gujarat
November 1	Haryana Day	Haryana
April 15	Himachal Day	Himachal Pradesh
October 26	Jammu and Kashmir Accession day	Jammu and Kashmir
November 1	Kannada Rajyothsava	Karnataka
May 1	Maharashtra Day	Maharashtra
February 20	Mizoram State Day	Mizoram
December 1	Nagaland State Inauguration Day	Nagaland
April 1	Odisha Day	Odisha
August 16	Puducherry De Jure Transfer Day	Puducherry
November 1	Puducherry Liberation Day	Puducherry
May 16	Sikkim State Day	Sikkim
June 2	Telangana Formation Day	Telangana
September 17	Hyderabad-Karnataka Liberation Day	Karnataka

Birth and anniversary days

State holidays:Birth and anniversary days^[21]
Date	Name	State/UT
April 14	Ambedkar Jayanti	Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
April 5	Babu Jag Jivan Ram's Birthday	Bihar
April 23	Basava Jayanti	Karnataka
July 13	Bhanu Jayanti	Sikkim
February 19	Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti	Maharashtra
December 18	Guru Ghasidas Jayanti	Chandigarh
February	Guru Ravidass Jayanti	Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab
September 23	Heroes' Martyrdom Day	Haryana
September 26	Janmotsav	Assam
June 4	Kabir Jayanti	Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab
November 15	Kanakadasa Jayanthi	Karnataka
May 25	Kazi Nazrul Islam Jayanti	Tripura
October 15	Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti	Haryana
September 23	Maharaja Hari Singh Ji's Birthday	Jammu and Kashmir
May 9	Maharana Pratap Jayanti	Rajasthan
July 13	Martyrs' Day	Jharkhand
January 23	Netaji's Birthday	Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal
December 12	Pa Togan Sangma	Meghalaya
May 7	Rabindranath Tagore's Birthday	West Bengal
September 26	Ramdev Jayanti	Rajasthan
March 23	Shaheedi Diwas	Punjab
October 31	Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Birthday	Gujarat
December 26	Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti	Haryana
July 31	Shaheed Udham Singh Martyrdom day	Haryana
August 20	Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi	Kerala
September 20	Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi	Kerala
January 12	Swami Vivekananda's Birthday	West Bengal
January 15–January 16	Thiruvalluvar Day	Tamil Nadu
December 18	U Soso Tham Death Anniversary	Meghalaya
December 30	U Kiang Nangbah	Meghalaya
July 17	U Tirot Sing Day	Meghalaya

Religious days

State holidays:Religious days^[21]
Date	Name	Type	State/UT
June–July	Akshaya Tritiya	Hindu
October–November	Ayudha Puja	Hindu	Tamil Nadu
September–October	Bathukamma	Hindu	Telangana
November	Bhai Dooj	Hindu	Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh
June	Bonalu	Hindu	Telangana
October–November	Chhath	Hindu	Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh
March	Dol Jatra	Hindu	West Bengal
October	Durga Puja	Hindu	West Bengal
August–September	Ganesh Chaturthi	Hindu	Andhra Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Telangana, Tamil Nadu
October–November	Ghatasthapana	Hindu	Rajasthan
April	Garia Puja	Hindu	Tripura
November	Govardhan Puja	Hindu	Haryana
April	Hanuman Jayanti	Hindu
August–September	Hartalika Teej	Hindu	Chandigarh, Sikkim
September–October	Haryali Teej	Hindu	Haryana
March–April	Holi	Hindu	Pan India except Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
March	Holika Dahan	Hindu	Rajasthan
August–September	Jhulan Purnima	Hindu	Odisha
November	Kali Puja	Hindu	West Bengal
November	Kartika Purnima	Hindu	Odisha, Tamil Nadu
July	Ker Puja	Hindu	Tripura
June	Kharchi Puja	Hindu	Tripura
August–September	Krishna Janmashtami	Hindu	Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh
October	Lakshmi Puja	Hindu	Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal
October–November	Maha Astami	Hindu	Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal
March–April	Maha Navami	Hindu	Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
October–November	Maha Saptami	Hindu	Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal
February–March	Maha Shivaratri	Hindu	Pan India except Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
October	Mahalaya	Hindu	Karnataka, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal
October	Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti	Hindu	Chandigarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab
April	Nag Panchami	Hindu	Maharashtra
April–May	Maharshi Parasuram Jayanti	Hindu	Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
June	Raja Parba	Hindu	Odisha
August	Raksha Bandhan	Hindu	Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh
March–April	Ram Navami	Hindu	Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh
November	Rahasa Purnima	Hindu	Odisha
June–July	Rath Jatra	Hindu	Odisha
February	Ratha Saptami	Hindu	Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra
September–October	Teja Dashmi	Hindu	Rajasthan
January–February	Thaipusam	Hindu	Tamil Nadu
January–February	Vasant Panchami	Hindu	Haryana, Odisha, Punjab, Tripura, West Bengal
September	Vishwakarma day	Hindu	Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
February	Dosmoche	Buddhist	Ladakh
July	Drupka Teshi	Buddhist	Ladakh
November	Lhabab Duchen	Buddhist	Sikkim
December	Pang-Lhabsol	Buddhist	Sikkim
August	Chehlum	Muslim	Bihar, Uttar Pradesh
April	Jumat-ul-Vida	Muslim	Jammu and Kashmir
January 28	Mohm Hajarat Ali	Muslim	Bihar
April	Shab-I-Qadr	Muslim	Jammu and Kashmir
December	Feast of St. Francis Xavier	Christian	Goa
April	Easter	Christian	Kerala
January 11	Missionary Day	Christian	Meghalaya
January 5	Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti	Sikh	Chandigarh, Haryana
June 19	Guru Hargobind Ji's birthday	Sikh	Jharkhand
August 28	Parkash Utsav Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji	Sikh	Punjab
June 3	Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day	Sikh	Punjab
November 28	Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji's Martyrdom Day	Sikh	Punjab
August	Samvatsari	Jain	Gujarat
July	Behdienkhlam	Indigenous	Meghalaya
November	Chapchar Kut	Indigenous	Mizoram
December	Indigenous Faith Day	Indigenous	Arunachal Pradesh, Assam
January	Gaan-Ngai	Indigenous	Assam, Manipur, Nagaland
January	Imoinu Iratpa	Indigenous	Manipur
October	Indrajatra	Indigenous	Sikkim
February	Lui Ngai Ni	Indigenous	Manipur
January	Me-Dam-Me-Phi	Indigenous	Assam
November	Ningol Chakouba	Indigenous	Manipur
September	Nuakhai	Indigenous	Odisha
August	Tendong Lho Rumfaat	Indigenous	Sikkim
March	Yaosang	Indigenous	Manipur

Others

State holidays:Others^[21]
Date	Name	State/UT
May 1	May Day	Assam, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Puducherry, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal
July 6	MHIP day	Mizoram
August 13	Patriot's day	Manipur
April 24	Panchaytiraj Diwas	Odisha
June 30	Remna Ni	Mizoram
November 23	Seng Kut Snem	Mizoram
June 15	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.^[22] Schools, colleges and other educational institutions have specific term holidays according to the state or board.

References

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Public holidays in India

Contents

National holidays

Central holidays

Fixed

Optional

State holidays

Harvest festivals

New year

State days

Birth and anniversary days

Religious days

Others

Others

References