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.
Central holidays
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
Optional
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
New year
State days
Birth and anniversary days
Religious days
Others
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
- ^ a b "Bank holidays in India". Forbes. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ Introduction to Constitution of India (Report). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
- ^ "Independence Day of India, 15 August 2020: History, Significance, Facts and Celebration". Times of India. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Jayanti 2023: Date, history, significance and all you need to know about Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary". Hindustan Times. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ a b 2023 Holiday list (PDF) (Report). Government of India. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Buddha Purnima 2023: Date, Timings, Story, Teachings and Significance". Times of India. 5 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "The Global Religious Landscape". Pew Research Center. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Navratri". Britannica. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Diwali". Britannica. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ The Chambers Dictionary. Allied Publishers. 2002. p. 639. ISBN 978-81-86062-25-8. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "Guru Nanak Jayanti 2019: History, significance and traditions". Hindustan Times. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ Elias, Jamal J. (1999). Islam. Routledge. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-4152-1165-9.
- ^ "Id al-Adha". Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ (India), Gujarat (1975). Gazetteers: Junagadh. p. 13.
- ^ Schussman, Aviva (1998). "The Legitimacy and Nature of Mawid al-Nabī: (analysis of a Fatwā)". Islamic Law and Society. 5 (2): 214–234. doi:10.1163/1568519982599535.
- ^ "Holi". Britannica. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Maha-shivaratri". Britannica. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Ganesh Chaturthi". Britannica. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Pongal". Britannica. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Vishu". Britannica. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bank holiday list". HDFC Bank. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Saturday bank holidays". RBI. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
