Public holidays in India

Non-floating holidays

Non-statutory holidays are written in gray.

Probably the most important secular holiday in the Indian calendar is the national holiday — Republic Day on January 26. The occasion marks the constitution coming into effect in 1950, and on this date the capital celebrates with a big parade. The birthday of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 is also celebrated nationwide. In addition, there are numerous Hindu holidays, but none of them are attached to nationwide public holidays. Nevertheless, they are mostly celebrated nationwide and in most regions of India, they are also days off from work. Due to the Hindu and therefore polytheistic belief of the majority of the population, there are numerous peculiarities and different holidays. First and foremost in its importance is Diwali, the festival of lights. The light triumphs over the darkness — good over evil. With this extremely rough description, the similarities nearly end. The characteristics and interpretations are different around the country. In many regions of the south, the victory of Krishna over Naraka is at stake, while most northern inhabitants tend to associate the day with the exile of the god Rama. Among Indian Muslims, the festival of sacrifice (al-Adha) and the end of Lent (al-Fitre) are the most prominent. For the few Christians in the country, Easter and Christmas are also celebrated. In addition, there are some less common holidays from the most diverse religions in India.