Indian Holidays 2013
India has so many traditions, religions and cultures, that it can sometimes be hard to track whether a certain festival is a holiday or not.
Below is a list of official holidays for 2013 (as published by the Government of India), observed nationally.
| Date | National Holidays in India | Day of Week |
| January 25 | Id-E-Milad | Friday |
| January 26 | Republic Day | Saturday |
| March 27 | Holi | Wednesday |
| March 29 | Good Friday | Friday |
| April 19 | Ram Navmi | Friday |
| April 24 | Mahavir Jayanti | Wednesday |
| May 25 | Buddha Purnima | Saturday |
| August 9 | Id-Ul-Fitr | Friday |
| August 15 | Independence Day | Thursday |
| August 28 | Krishna Janmastami | Wednesday |
| October 2 | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti | Wednesday |
| October 13 | Dussera/ Vijaya Dashami (Maha Navmi) | Sunday |
| October 16 | Bakri Id (Id-ul-zuha) | Wednesday |
| November 3 | Diwali | Sunday |
| November 14 | Muharram | Thursday |
| November 17 | Guru Nanak Jayanti | Sunday |
| December 25 | Christmas |
Wednesday |
In addition, individual states/ regions may have additional holidays for festivals and local celebrations. Key regional holidays and festivals are listed below.
| Date | Other regional holidays/ major festivals in India | Day of week |
| January 1 | New Year’s Day | Tuesday |
| January 13 | Makar Sankaranti | Sunday |
| January 14 | Pongal | Monday |
| January 18 | Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti | Friday |
| February 14 | Shree Panchami | Thursday |
| February 15 | Vasant Panchami | Friday |
| February 19 | Shivaji Jayanti | Tuesday |
| February 25 | Guru Ravidas Jayanti | Monday |
| March 7 | Swami Dayananda Saraswati Jayanti | Thursday |
| March 10 | Maha Shivratri | Sunday |
| March 26 | Holika Dahan | Tuesday |
| March 31 | Easter | Sunday |
| April 11 | Chaitra Sukladi/ GudiPadava/ Ugadi/ Cheti Chand | Thursday |
| April 13 | Vaisakhi/ Vishu | Saturday |
| April 14 | Mesadi/ Mashadi Uczadi | Sunday |
| April 15 | Vaisakhadi(Bengal)/ Bahag Bihu (Assam) | Monday |
| May 9 | Guru Rabindranath’s birthday | Thursday |
| May 24 | Hazarat Ali’s Birthday | Friday |
| July 10 | Rath Yatra | Wednesday |
| August 2 | Jamat-Ul-Vida | Friday |
| August 18 | Parsi New Year’s day | Sunday |
| August 20 | Raksha Bandhan | Tuesday |
| September 9 | Vinayaka Chaturthi/ Ganesh Chaturthi | Monday |
| September 16 | Onam | Monday |
| October 11 | Dussehra (Maha Saptami) (Additional) | Friday |
| October 12 | Dussehra (Maha Ashtami) (Additional) | Saturday |
| October 18 | Maharishi Valmiki’s birthday | Friday |
| October 22 | Karva Chauth (Karaka Chaturthi) | Tuesday |
| November 2 | Narak Chaturdashi/ Deepavali – South India | Saturday |
| November 5 | Bhai Duj | Tuesday |
| November 8 | Pratihar Sashthi or Surya Sashthi (Chhat Puja) | Friday |
| November 24 | Guru Teg Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day | Sunday |
A great way to introduce festivals of India to young minds is ”Tell me about: Festivals of India“
PS: Local names/ spellings of these holidays/festivals may differ.
