Public Holidays in India — Complete List, Categories and Significance

editor

October 31, 2025

India’s calendar of public holidays reflects its incredible cultural, religious, and regional diversity.
From Republic Day and Diwali to Onam and Eid, holidays in India are declared at multiple administrative levels, national, central, and state under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

This article provides a complete overview of how public holidays in India are classified, celebrated, and notified.

Categories of Public Holidays in India

Category	Declared By	Applies To	Examples
National Holidays	Government of India	Entire country	Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti
Central Government Holidays	Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT)	Central offices, PSUs	Eid, Diwali, Christmas
State / UT Holidays	State or UT Governments	State govt offices, banks, schools	Pongal, Onam, Bihu
Religious & Cultural Holidays	Various faith communities	Across India	Holi, Eid, Christmas, Vesak
Bank Holidays	RBI + States	Banks & financial institutions	2nd & 4th Saturdays, April 1
Institutional Holidays	Educational or private bodies	Schools, universities, corporates	Term breaks, Founders’ Day

Public Holidays in India – List of National Holidays Observed Across India

India has three national holidays that are compulsory in all States and Union Territories.

Date	Holiday
26 January – Republic Day	Marks the adoption of the Indian Constitution in 1950.
15 August – Independence Day	Celebrates India’s independence from British rule in 1947.
2 October – Gandhi Jayanti	Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation.

Note: Ambedkar Jayanti (14 April) is widely observed but is not one of the three statutory national holidays.

List of Central Government Holidays in India

The Central Government issues an annual list of holidays divided into Gazetted (Compulsory) and Restricted (Optional) categories.

Gazetted Holidays in India

Festival	Approx. Month	Description
Good Friday	March–April	Christian festival marking the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Eid al-Fitr	March–April	Muslim festival celebrating the end of Ramadan.
Eid al-Adha (Bakrid)	June–July	Festival of sacrifice in Islam.
Buddha Purnima	April–May	Celebrates the birth of Lord Buddha.
Vijayadashami (Dussehra)	September–October	Symbolizes victory of good over evil.
Diwali (Deepavali)	October–November	Festival of lights across India.
Guru Nanak Jayanti	October–November	Birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism.
Christmas Day	25 December	Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

(Optional) Restricted Holidays in India

Employees may choose any two optional holidays from this list:

Festival	Religion / Culture	Month	Significance
Makar Sankranti / Pongal	Hindu	January	Harvest festival dedicated to the Sun God.
Vasant Panchami	Hindu	Jan–Feb	Festival dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
Maha Shivaratri	Hindu	Feb–Mar	Night of Lord Shiva’s divine union with Parvati.
Holi	Hindu	March	Festival of colours symbolizing the victory of good.
Rama Navami	Hindu	Mar–Apr	Birth of Lord Rama.
Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Cheti Chand	Hindu	Mar–Apr	Regional New Year festivals in South and West India.
Bohag Bihu / Vishu / Puthandu	Hindu	April	Harvest and New Year celebrations.
Vaisakhi	Sikh / Hindu	April	Spring harvest and Sikh New Year.
Ratha Yatra	Hindu	Jun–Jul	Chariot festival of Lord Jagannath.
Janmashtami	Hindu	Aug–Sep	Birth of Lord Krishna.
Ganesh Chaturthi	Hindu	Aug–Sep	Birth of Lord Ganesha.
Onam	Hindu	Aug–Sep	Kerala’s harvest festival.
Navratri / Durga Puja	Hindu	Sep–Oct	Worship of Goddess Durga.
Karva Chauth	Hindu	Oct–Nov	Married women pray for the long life of their husbands.
Chhath Puja	Hindu	Oct–Nov	Sun-worship festival in North India.
Easter Sunday	Christian	March–April	Celebrates the resurrection of Christ.
Mahavir Jayanti	Jain	March–April	Birth of Lord Mahavira.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti	Sikh	December–January	Birth of the 10th Sikh Guru.

State and Union Territory Holidays in India

Every State and Union Territory in India publishes its own list of public holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
These lists reflect local traditions, historical events, and cultural observances.

State / UT	Regional Holidays
Kerala	Onam, Vishu, Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti
Tamil Nadu	Pongal, Thai Poosam, Puthandu (Tamil New Year)
Maharashtra	Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Chaturthi, Maharashtra Day
Punjab & Haryana	Lohri, Baisakhi, Teej, Gurpurab
West Bengal	Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Pohela Boishakh
Assam	Bihu (Rongali, Magh, Kati)
Goa	Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Carnival
Odisha	Raja Parba, Nuakhai, Pana Sankranti
Telangana	Bathukamma, Bonalu, Telangana Formation Day
Northeast States	Losar (Sikkim), Behdienkhlam (Meghalaya), Chapchar Kut (Mizoram)

Harvest and New Year Festivals Celebrated Across States

Festival	Region	Cultural Significance
Pongal / Makar Sankranti	Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh	Sun festival marking harvest season.
Vishu	Kerala	Malayali New Year.
Bohag Bihu	Assam	Assamese New Year & spring festival.
Gudi Padwa / Ugadi	Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh	Lunar New Year in Deccan region.
Pohela Boishakh	West Bengal, Tripura	Bengali New Year.
Puthandu	Tamil Nadu	Tamil New Year (Chithirai month).

Religious and Cultural Holidays Across Faiths

Faith	Major Observances
Hindu	Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Navratri, Janmashtami, Maha Shivaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Raksha Bandhan
Muslim	Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Muharram, Milad-un-Nabi, Shab-e-Qadr
Sikh	Guru Nanak Jayanti, Bandi Chhor Divas, Vaisakhi, Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti
Buddhist / Jain	Buddha Purnima (Vesak), Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushana
Christian	Good Friday, Easter, Christmas, Feast of St. Francis Xavier
Tribal / Indigenous	Wangala (Meghalaya), Chapchar Kut (Mizoram), Behdienkhlam (Meghalaya), Yaosang (Manipur), Nuakhai (Odisha)

Bank Holidays in India

Type	Declared By	Notes
Public Holidays (NI Act)	State Governments	As per state notification each year.
Sundays	RBI directive	All banks remain closed.
2nd & 4th Saturdays	RBI directive (2015)	Uniform bank closure rule.
1 April	RBI / Banks	Annual closing day — no public banking transactions.

Legal Framework for Declaring Holidays in India

Authority / Law	Purpose
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (Section 25)	Legal authority for declaring public holidays at state level.
Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT)	Publishes central government holiday list each year.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)	Declares standard bank holidays and working Saturday pattern.
State Governments / UTs	Notify holidays for local offices, schools, and institutions.

Summary Snapshot

Category	Declared By	Examples
National Holidays	Central Govt	Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti
Gazetted Holidays	DoPT	Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, Christmas
Restricted Holidays	DoPT (Optional)	Holi, Janmashtami, Onam, Vishu
State Holidays	State Govts / UTs	Pongal, Bihu, Onam
Bank Holidays	RBI + States	2nd & 4th Saturdays, April 1
Institutional Holidays	Boards / Employers	Academic or company breaks

Conclusion

India’s public holidays are more than days off — they are expressions of identity, heritage, and unity in diversity. Whether it’s the tricolour flying on Independence Day, diyas glowing on Diwali, or the community feast of Eid, every celebration adds to the nation’s cultural mosaic.

In short, public holidays in India represent the pulse of a living civilization that celebrates together — in hundreds of languages, faiths, and traditions — yet stands united as one.

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