Because of the slew of cultures and religions in India, celebrating all occasions and festivals would make most days holidays. Publicly recognized holidays vary from state to state, and the company you work for will probably have a say in which days you have off. Republic Day and Independence Day are definite vacation days.
The state's decision on bank closings for celebrations is not made very far in advance. And sometimes the dates of observance change. Below are the bank holidays for 2011 and 2012. The 2011 dates are listed according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). At the time of writing, the dates for the 2012 calendar were not yet published on the Reserve Bank of India's website, so some of the holidays listed below are approximations gathered from various sources. Please check the RBI's website to verify the 2012 holiday dates.
2011 Bank Holidays in Mumbai
January
- 26 Republic Day: Marks the day India adopted its own Constitution
Feburary
- 16 Id-E-Milad: Islamic celebration of the birth and death of Muhammed
- 19 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti: Celebration of Chhatrapati Shivaji's birthday
March
- 2 Maha Shivaratri: Hindu holiday marked by fasting and worship of Lord Shiva
April
- 4 Gudi Padwa: Hindu holiday; New Year's Day in the state of Maharashtra
- 12 Ram Navmi: Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Rama
- 14 Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti: Birthday of Ambedkar, an important social activist and scholar who fought against the Indian caste system
- 16 Mahavir Jayanti: Important Jain holiday celebrating the birth of Mahavira
- 22 Good Friday: Christian holiday marking the crucifixion and death of Jesus
May
- 17 Buddha Pournima: Also called "Vesak," celebration of Gautama Buddha
August
- 15 Independence Day: Commemoration of India's independence from Britain in 1947
- 19 Shahenshahi: Parsi New Year
- 31 Ramzan Id (Id-ul-Fitar): Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan, an important month of religious fasting
September
- 1 Ganesh Chaturthi: Hindu celebration of Lord Ganesha's birthday. Involves releasing plaster of Paris statues of the Ganesh into the sea, rivers, and lakes
- 30 Half-yearly Closing of Bank's Accounts
October
- 6 Dasara: Hindu holiday celebrating the day Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura
- 26 Diwali (Laxmi Pujan): Hindu "festival of lights"
- 27 Diwali (Balipratipada): Hindu "festival of lights"
November
- 7 Bakri Id: Muslim festival of sacrifice and anniversary of the day the Quran was completed
- 10 Guru Nanak Jayanti: Sikh holiday celebrating the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism
December
- 6 Moharrum: First month of the Islamic calendar
2012 Bank Holidays in Mumbai:
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