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.
Fixed date holidays followed in Mumbai are:
- Republic Day: 26th January (India become a democratic republic on this day in 1950)
- Independence Day: 15th August (India attained freedom from the British Rule on this day in 1947)
- Gandhi Jayanti: 2nd October (Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi-the Father of the Nation)
Holidays (based on Lunar/Indian calendar):
Dussehra: In October or November, Dussehra or Vijayadashmi is a Hindu festival to celebrate victory of goodness over evil.
Diwali: Festival of lights, celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over the Ravana, the evil king of Lanka, and is sometime in October or November.
Bank Holiday Schedule
Banks and public institutions, as well as some schools, are closed on the following holidays, although offices may choose to remain open on most of these days (with the exception of Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti, on which most offices are required to close for business). If a holiday falls on a Sunday, you will not normally get the following Monday off en lieu.
| Holiday | 2021 | 2022 |
| Milad-un-Nabi (Birthday of Prophet Muhammad) | Friday, 25 January | Monday, 13 January |
| Republic Day* | Saturday, 26 January | Sunday, 26 January |
| Holi | Wednesday, 27 March | Monday, 17 March |
| Good Friday | Friday, 29 March | Friday, 18 April |
| Ugadi (New Year Day for followers of South Indian lunar calendar) | Thursday, 11 April | Monday, 31 March |
| Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti | Sunday, 14 April | Monday, 24 April |
| Ram Navami (Celebrates the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha of Ayodhya) | Friday, 19 April | Tuesday, 8 April |
| Mahavir Jayanti (One of the biggest Jain festivals in India) | Wednesday, 24 April | Sunday, 13 April |
| Maharashtra Day (Commemorates the formation of the state in 1960) | Wednesday, 1 May | Thursday, 1 May |
| Buddha Purnima (Celebration of the Buddha’s birth) | Saturday, 25 May | Tuesday, 13 May |
| Ramazan/Idu’l Fitr (End of Ramadan) | Friday, 9 August | Monday, 28 July |
| Independence Day* | Thursday, 15 August | Friday, 15 August |
| Parsi New Year | Tuesday, 20 August | Wednesday, 20 August |
| Janmashtami (Celebrates the birth of Lord Shri Krishna) | Wednesday, 28 August | Sunday, 17 August |
| Ganesh Chaturthi (Celebrates the rebirth of Lord Ganesha) | Monday, 9 September | Friday, 29 August |
| Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday* | Wednesday, 2 October | Thursday, 2 October |
| Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami)* | Monday, 14 October | Monday, 6 October |
| Bakri Id/Idu’l Zuha (Feast of Sacrifice) | Wednesday, 16 October | Saturday, 4 October |
| Deepavali/Diwali (Festival of Lights)* | Saturday, 2 November | Thursday, 23 October |
| Muharram (Marks the first month of the Muslim calendar) | Thursday, 14 November | Saturday, 25 October |
| Guru Nanak Jayati (Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith) | Sunday, 17 November | Thursday, 6 November |
| Christmas Day | Wednesday, 25 December | Thursday, 25 December |
*See explanation above
