Holidays in India
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National holidays
There are three national holidays in India, applicable in all states:
- Republic Day, January 26.
- Independence Day, August 15.
- Gandhi Jayanti (birthday of Mahatma Gandhi), October 2.
All government institutions are required to observe these as holidays.
In addition, there are several religious and cultural holidays.
Miscellaneous
- New Year's Day, January 1
- New Year's Day in various regional Indian calendars
- Pongal or Makara Sankranti - Historically, a Dravidian festival, celebrated in South India. It is a thanksgiving festival, marking the harvest. Usually occurs on Janurary 14th or 15th.
- Holi - Know as the festival of colors, marks the beginning of spring. Occurs on a full moon in late March or early April. More widely celebrated in Northern India, than Southern India.
- Raksha bandhan - Celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. Occurs on a full moon day usually between July - August. More widely celebrated in North India.
Hindu festivals
Hindus make up approximately 80% of India's population. The Hindu calendar is lunar (or luni-solar), and as such, Hindu festivals don't fall on a fixed day of the Gregorian calendar. Since Hinduism's beliefs and practices are widely varied, there are a large number of festivals. Some are regional, and not all are observed by all Hindus. The more important ones are listed below, and there is no uniformity as to which of these are holidays.
- Thaipusam - Mostly a Tamil festival, commemorating the birth of Lord Murugan. Late Janurary - Early Feburary.
- Maha Shivratri - Festival to honor Lord Shiva. Feburary - March.
- Ugadi / Gudhi Padwa / Baisakhi/Vaisakhi / Bihu / Poila Baisakh - New Year's Day in various Indian calendars. March - April.
- Ram Navami - Commemorates the marriage of Seetha and Rama, and also the birth of Lord Rama. April.
- Krishna Jayanti - Commemorates the birth of Lord Krishna. August - September.
- Onam - A harvest festival, celebrated in Kerala. August - September.
- Ganesh Chaturthi - Commemorates the birth of Lord Ganesha. Late August to Early September.
- Vijayadasami - Celebrates the victory of good over evil. September - October.
- Diwali - The most widely celebrated festival, and is known as the "festival of lights". Occurs on a new moon day, usually in October or November.
- Diwali Amvasaya (Laxmi Puja)
- Diwali (day 2)
- Bhaubeej
Islamic festivals
Muslims account for approximately 13% of India's population. The Islamic calendar is also lunar and so festival dates are variable. Moreover, they are not known in advance and are determined by the sighting of the moon. The major ones are:
- Eid ul-Fitr
- Eid ul-Adha (Bakrid)
- Ramadan
Christian festivals
Christmas Day and Good Friday are usually holidays.
Other religions
- Buddha Jayanti (Buddhism)
- Mahavir Jayanti (Jainism)
- Guru Nanak's Birthday Jayanti (Sikhism)
- Guru Govind Singh's Birthday Jayanti (Sikhism)
- Guru Teg Bahadur's Martyrdom Day (Sikhism)
- Vaisakhi (Sikhism)