Indian Festivals and Holidays

Click a Flag to Translate This Page		Suggest This Page to Others

Festivals are essential threads woven in the fabric of Indian society. These are special occasions for social get-together with family, friends and neighbors to forge new bonds and strengthen the existing ones. And they come ever so often. There are probably more festivals and occasions for celebrations than there are days in a year. Major events defined in religious scriptures; birthdays of gods, goddesses, saints and prophets; bride's homecoming; birth of a child etc. are some examples of reasons for celebration. The culture and traditions of vibrant Indian festivals have been handed down for generations. All these celebrations have religious, seasonal and social elements to them. Though the same festival may be celebrated differently in various parts of the country- the enthusiasm, spirit and gaiety have still remained the same after hundreds of years (and in some cases thousands of years) Here is the 2008-2009 calendar with dates for some of the main Indian festivals which are celebrated with equal fervor all over the country. This is intended as a starting point to understanding the vast culture and heritage of India.

2011
Date	Festival	Remarks
	Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti	Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
	Muharram	Muslim New Year
	Lohri
	Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Bhogi, Bihu
	Basant Panchami, Saraswati Puja
	Republic Day	Indian National Holiday
	Maha Shivaratri
	Sikh New Year
	Mawlid al-Nabi
	Holi, Holi Mohalla	Festival of Colors
	Bikrami Samvat, Gudi Padwa	Bikrami Samvat: Hindu New Year Gudi Padwa: Maharastrian New Year
	Ugadi	Ugadi: Telugu and Kannadika New Year
	Tamil New Year
	Ram Navami, Baisakhi, Poila Baisakh	Baisakhi: Punjabi New Year Poila Baisakh: Bengali New Year
	Sri Mahavir Jayanti
	Sri Hanuman Jayanti	Sri Hanuman's Birthday
	Akshaya Tritiya
	Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima
	Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib
	Guru Purnima
	Independence Day	Indian National Holiday
	Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi)	This date may be Aug 16 or Aug 17 in 2008
	Sri Krishna Janmashthami	Sri Krishna's Birthday. This date may be Aug 23 or Aug 24 in 2008
	First Parkash Guru Granth Sahib
	Ramadan Begins
	Ganesh Chaturthi, Samvatatsari
	Onam
	Commencement of Navratras
	Eid al-Fitr	Eid al-Fitr: Ramadan Ends
	Dusshera (Vijay Dashami/Durga Dashami)
	Karva Chauth, Durga Puja
	Dhan Teras
	Diwali	Festival of Lights
	Govardhan Puja
	Bhai Dooj
	Guru Nanak Jayanti	Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib
	Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib
	Eid al-Adha	Festival of Sacrifice
	Christmas
	Muharram	Muslim New Year. 2008 has this new year twice.
	2011 dates not available for ---------->	Saradhas begin, Jnana Panchami, Rathayatra (Jain), Teej, Onam, Kali Puja, Durga Puja, Bakr-Id
* The dates for the Sikh festivals are given according to both the Bikrami (Hindu) calendar, which is based on the sidereal year, and the reformed Nanakshahi (Sikh) calendar, which is based on the tropical year. All Bikrami dates are moveable. * All Islamic holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date given. These are based on the lunar calendar and may vary by 1-2 days. Dates apply to North America. * Great care has been taken in putting together this page. We are not responsible for any errors or omissions.
2012
Date	Festival	Remarks
	2012 dates not available at this time