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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 are mandatory holidays declared by Government of India which is applicable for all states and union territories of India.
| 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, who was born on October 2, 1869[4] |
In addition 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
| 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] |
| April 14 | Ambedkar Jayanti | Fixed | Honors B. R. Ambedkar (1891-1956), the father of Indian Constitution, who was born on April 14, 1891[7] |
| 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[8] |
| 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[9] Sikh festival called Dasehra. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji instructed Sikhs to use this time as 9 nights of reciting Bir Ras - Judh Mai Bani (Bani infused with warrior spirit). By changing this festival to one focusing on ‘Shastar’ (weapon) and ‘Shaastar’ (scripture), Guru Sahib instilled ‘Chardi Kala’ and ‘Bir Ras’ (warrior spirit) into his Sikhs. Turning his Sikhs away from watching plays depicting demons such as Ravan, Meghnaad, Kumbhkaran getting defeated, Guru Sahib instead uttered all these feats inspiring warrior spirit in his Bani ‘Raam Avtar’, and instructed Sikhs to recite it during the period of Dasehra. |
| 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[10] 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. |
| April | Good Friday | Floating | Christian festival that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus[11] |
| October–November | Guru Nanak's Birthday | Floating | Sikh festival that celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, (1469).[12] |
| 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.[13] |
| 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.[14] |
| 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[15] |
| 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.[16] |
Optional
| 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[17] 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. |
| 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[18] |
| 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[19] |
| January | Makar Sankranti / Pongal | Floating | Hindu festival marking the transition of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn and dedicated to the solar deity Surya.[20] |
| 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[21] |
| 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 of Vaisakh in the Punjabi 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 Konkani 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 |
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
| 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
| 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 |
| 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 | Puthaandu | 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 |
| 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
| 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 1 | ગુજરાત સ્થાપના દિવસ | 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
Religious days
Others
| 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 |
Banks have specific holidays according to the various states or union territories in addition to every second and fourth Saturdays of the month.[23] Schools, colleges and other educational institutions have specific term holidays according to the state or board.
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