Public Holidays in India, also known as Statutory Holidays, or colloquially Government Holidays, consist of a variety of cultural, nationalistic, and religious holidays that are legislated in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

at the

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

levels. While many of these holidays are honored and acknowledged nationwide, state legislation varies in regard to which are officially recognized.

, being a culturally diverse society, celebrates many holidays and festivals, but there are only three national festivals:

Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially cal ...

(26 January), Independence Day (15 August), and

Gandhi Jayanti Gandhi Jayanti is an event celebrated in India to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. It is celebrated annually on 2 October, and is one of the three national holidays of India. The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adop ...

(2 October). In India, there are more than 30 grand festivals which are celebrated in major parts of India along with other state festivals. States have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic demographics. Popular Hindu festivals like Makar Sankranti,

Pongal Pongal may refer to: * Pongal (festival), an annual Tamil festival * Pongal (dish) Pongal, also known as pongali or huggi, is an Indian rice dish. In Tamil, "pongal" means "boil" or "bubbling up". The two varieties of pongal are ''chakarai pong ...

Maha Shivratri Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ca ...

Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...

Saraswati Puja Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions in different ways depending on the region ...

, Guru Purnima, Ganesh Chaturthi,

Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hin ...

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

Durga Puja Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...

Dussehra Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...

, and Diwali;

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

festivals like

Mahavir Janma Kalyanak Mahavir Janma Kalyanak is one of the most important religious festivals in Jainism. It celebrates the birth of Mahavira, Mahavir, the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara of present Avasarpiṇī. On the Gregorian calendar, the holiday occurs ei ...

and

Paryushan Das Lakshana'' or ''Paryushana is the most important annual holy event for Jains and is usually celebrated in August or September in Hindi calendar (indian calendar) Bhadrapad Month's Shukla Paksha. Jains increase their level of spiritual inte ...

; Sikh festivals like Guru Nanak Jayanti and

Vaisakhi Vaisakhi ( Punjabi: ), also pronounced Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April as a celebration of spring harvest primarily in Northern India. Further, o ...

; Muslim festivals like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Mawlid, and

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after ...

; Buddhist festivals like

Ambedkar Jayanti Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti is an annual festival observed on 14 April to commemorate the memory of B. R. Ambedkar, Indian politician and civil rights activist. It marks Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's birthday who was born on 14 April 1891. Si ...

, Buddha Jayanti,

Dhammachakra Pravartan Day Dhammachakra Pravartan Din or Dhammachakra Pravartan Diwas (translation: '' Dhamma Wheel's Promulgation Day'') is a Buddhist festival in India. This is the day to celebrate the Buddhist conversion of B. R. Ambedkar and his approximately 600,000 ...

, and

Losar Losar (; "new year"William D. Crump, "Losar" in ''Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide'' (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237-38.) also known as Tibetan New Year, is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. The holiday is celebrated on various d ...

;

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...

holidays such as

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

; and Christian festivals like Good Friday,

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

and

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

, some festivals are celebrated by the whole India and some festivals are celebrated by limited region of India.

National holidays

National holidays are observed in all states and union territories of India. They are:

Other notable holidays

States generally adopt the same holidays as the union government with some variations. In addition to the official holidays, many religious, ethnic, and other traditional holidays, as well as observances proclaimed by officials populate the calendar. At the

discretion Discretion has the meaning of acting on one's own authority and judgment. In law, discretion as to legal rulings, such as whether evidence is excluded at a trial, may be exercised by a judge. Some view discretion negatively, while some view it ...

of the employer, other holidays are common additions to the list of paid holidays.

Holidays with religious significance

In India, people from various religions coexist together. Religious and cultural holidays are characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices.

Hindu holidays

Hindus celebrate a number of indian festivals all through the year. Hindu festivals have one or more of religious, cultural 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.

Islamic holidays

Sikh holidays

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

Christian holidays

Buddhist holidays

Jain holidays

Parsee (Zoroastrian) holidays

The ''

Shahenshahi Zoroastrianism has numerous festivals and holy days, all of which are bound to the Zoroastrian calendar. The '' Shahenshahi'' and ''Kadmi'' variants of the calendar do not intercalate leap years and hence the day of the Gregorian calendar year on ...

'' and ''Kadmi'' variants of the

Zoroastrian calendar Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for liturgical purposes, all derived from medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately based on the Babylonian calendar as used in the Achaemenid empire. ''Qadimi'' ...

do not intercalate leap years and hence the day of the Gregorian calendar year on which these days are celebrated shifts ahead with time. The third variant of the Zoroastrian calendar, known as either ''Fasli'' (in India) or ''Bastani'' (in Iran), intercalcates according to Gregorian calendar rules and thus remains synchronous with the seasons. The Parsis in India use a

calendar, unlike the

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian Zoroastrians who use a Kadmi calendar. The North American and European Parsis have adapted their own version of the

Fasli Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for liturgical purposes, all derived from medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately based on the Babylonian calendar as used in the Achaemenid empire. ''Qadimi'' ...

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.

Ravidassia holidays

Ayyavazhi holidays

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.Holidays to be observed in central government offices during 2017
Note a new version of this document is released each year, and old versions may not be available beyond one or two years previous. 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 The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is a ministry of the Government of India in personnel matters specially issues concerning recruitment, training, career development, staff welfare as well as the post-retirement dispensati ...

(Department of Personnel and Training) on behalf of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

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. This list consists of two parts: * Paragraph 2 * Paragraph 3.1

=Paragraph 2

= It consists of holidays that are observed compulsorily across India. These holidays are: # Republic Day # Independence Day # Gandhi Jayanti # Mahavir Janma Kalyanak # Buddha Purnima # Christmas Day # Dussehra # Diwali (Deepavali) # Good Friday # Guru Nanak's Birthday # Eid ul-Fitr

=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. #Republic day # An additional day for Dussehra # Holi # Janamashtami (Vaishanvi)/Krishnashtami # Rama Navami # Maha Sivarathri # Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayak Chaturthi # Makar Sankranti/Sankranthi # Onam # Sri Panchami/Basanta Panchami # 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.

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.

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.

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, Eid-ul-Fitr, Dussehra (Vijaya Dasami), Guru Nanak's Birthday, Christmas Day as compulsory holidays falling on weekdays.

Banks

With 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). # Bank Holiday # Gandhi Jayanti #

# Maharaja Agresen Jayanti # Kashiram Death Anniversary # Dussehra (Maha Navami) # Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami) #

Dusshera Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...

(Maha Navaratri, Durgotsava, Durga Ashtami, Durga Ashtami) # Deepawali # Deepawali (Govardhan Puja) # Bhai Duj/Chitragupt Jayanti # Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) # Guru Nanak's birthday/Kartik Poornima # Dr. B R. Ambedkar's Nirwan Diwas # Moharram # Christmas # New Year's Day # International Women's Day # Gudhi Padwa # Guru Gobind Singh Ji Gurpurab # Sankaranti # Basanta Panchami # Guru Ravidas Jayanti # Chehalum #

# Easter Saturday # Easter Monday # Baishakhi #

# Vishwakarma Pooja # Eid ul Fitr # Ganesh Chaturthi # Anant chaturdasi #

(Maha Ashtami) # Maharshi Balmiki Jayanti #

Deepavali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali (IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is on ...

(Narak Chaturdasi) # Eid ul Adha (Bakrid) # Guru Teg Bahadur Shahid Diwas # Moharram # Christmas # Second and Fourth Saturday of Every Month # All Saturdays of the month in the IT sector

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Holidays in India *

Holidays