India Gazetted Holidays 2025
India had 17 central government gazetted holidays in 2025, fixed by DoPT O.M. F.No.12/2/2023-JCA dated 9 July 2024. The year was generous: seven holidays fell on a Friday or Monday and produced automatic three-day weekends. Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti shared October 2, which under DoPT rules yielded only one day off rather than two.
Gazetted holidays
17
Long weekends
10 (7 automatic)
Lost to weekends
4 dates
Notable
Dussehra = Gandhi Jayanti
2025 India calendar
01January
02February
03March
04April
05May
06June
07July
08August
09September
10October
11November
12December
India public holiday list
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 26, 2025 | Sunday | Republic DaySunday. National holiday — mandatory for all establishments; no substitute weekday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| February 26, 2025 | Wednesday | Maha ShivaratriWednesday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| March 14, 2025 | Friday | HoliFriday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| March 31, 2025 | Monday | Id-ul-FitrMonday. Subject to moon sighting — date may shift by one day.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| April 10, 2025 | Thursday | Mahavir JayantiThursday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| April 18, 2025 | Friday | Good FridayFriday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| May 12, 2025 | Monday | Buddha PurnimaMonday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| June 7, 2025 | Saturday | Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid)Saturday. Subject to moon sighting; no substitute weekday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| July 6, 2025 | Sunday | MuharramSunday. Subject to moon sighting; no substitute weekday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| August 15, 2025 | Friday | Independence DayFriday. National holiday — mandatory for all establishments.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| August 16, 2025 | Saturday | JanmashtamiSaturday, the day after Independence Day.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| September 5, 2025 | Friday | Milad-un-Nabi (Prophet's Birthday)Friday. Subject to moon sighting — date may shift by one day.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| October 2, 2025 | Thursday | Mahatma Gandhi JayantiThursday. National holiday — mandatory for all establishments.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| October 2, 2025 | Thursday | Dussehra (Vijayadashami)Thursday. Coincides with Gandhi Jayanti, so only one day off is granted.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| October 20, 2025 | Monday | Diwali (Deepavali)Monday. Some states observe Naraka Chaturdasi (Oct 19) instead.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| November 5, 2025 | Wednesday | Guru Nanak JayantiWednesday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| December 25, 2025 | Thursday | Christmas DayThursday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
The second tier: 34 restricted holidays
The 17 dates above are only half of the DoPT calendar. Annexure-II of the same Office Memorandum lists 34 further occasions as restricted holidays, and every central government employee may take any two of them. They are deliberately kept out of the table, the calendar grid and the downloadable files on this page: the office stays open on a restricted holiday, so they are leave you apply for rather than a day India is closed.
India long weekends in 2025
Holi
3 daysMar 14 – 16
Holi (Fri) runs into the weekend — three days off, no leave needed.
Id-ul-Fitr
3 daysMar 29 – 31
Id-ul-Fitr on Monday Mar 31 — the weekend before makes a three-day break.
Mahavir Jayanti
4 daysApr 10 – 13
Mahavir Jayanti (Thu) — take Friday Apr 11 off for a four-day break.
Good Friday
3 daysApr 18 – 20
Good Friday (Fri) runs into the weekend — three days off, no leave needed.
Buddha Purnima
3 daysMay 10 – 12
Buddha Purnima on Monday May 12 — the weekend before makes a three-day break.
Independence Day & Janmashtami
3 daysAug 15 – 17
Independence Day (Fri) and Janmashtami (Sat) back-to-back, plus Sunday — three consecutive days off.
Milad-un-Nabi
3 daysSep 5 – 7
Milad-un-Nabi (Fri) runs into the weekend — three days off, no leave needed.
Gandhi Jayanti & Dussehra
4 daysOct 2 – 5
Both holidays fall on Thursday Oct 2 — take Friday off for a four-day break through the weekend.
Diwali
3 daysOct 18 – 20
Diwali on Monday Oct 20 — Saturday and Sunday before it make a three-day break.
Christmas
4 daysDec 25 – 28
Christmas Day (Thu) — take Friday off for a four-day break through the weekend.
Understanding India's holiday system
India uses a three-tier holiday system for central government employees. National holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti) are mandatory — every public and private establishment must close. Gazetted holidays are the 17 days listed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) each year in Annexure-I; central government offices close, and most banks and PSUs follow suit. Restricted holidays (also called optional holidays) are the Annexure-II list — 34 occasions in 2025 — from which employees may choose two off days per year.
The 2025 gazetted list, issued as DoPT O.M. F.No.12/2/2023-JCA on 9 July 2024, covers major festivals across Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Christian traditions. Three holidays — Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha and Milad-un-Nabi — depend on lunar moon sighting and may shift by a day. Note that Ram Navami (Apr 6) was not gazetted centrally in 2025; it sat on the restricted list instead, while Maha Shivaratri (Feb 26) was gazetted that year.
Two DoPT rules shaped the 2025 calendar. No substitute day is granted when a gazetted holiday falls on a weekly off, so Republic Day (Sun Jan 26), Id-ul-Zuha (Sat Jun 7) and Muharram (Sun Jul 6) passed without an extra day off. The same rule applies when two festivals share a date, which is why Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 produced one holiday, not two.
State-level holidays
Each Indian state and union territory publishes its own additional public holidays beyond the central gazetted list. For example, Maharashtra observes Gudi Padwa and Ganesh Chaturthi, Tamil Nadu adds Pongal and Tamil New Year, and West Bengal includes Durga Puja as a multi-day break. State government offices, schools and local businesses typically follow the state list rather than the central one alone.
Central offices outside Delhi also differ from the Delhi list: they observe 14 compulsory holidays plus three chosen by the state Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee from a 12-item optional list. If you work in a specific state or plan travel there, check the local notification in addition to this central calendar. Private companies often combine gazetted holidays with a subset of state holidays based on their location and workforce.
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Official sources & data
- List of Holidays during the year 2025 for administrative offices of Central Government at Delhi / New Delhi (Gazetted and Restricted)Visit sourcePrincipal Controller of Communication Accounts, Delhi (Government of India)
- DoPT O.M. F.No.12/2/2023-JCA dated 09.07.2024 — Holidays in Central Government Offices during 2025 (Annexure-I & II)Visit sourceStaffNews
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does India have in 2025?+
The central government gazetted list for 2025 has 17 holidays. These apply to central government offices nationwide. States add their own holidays on top, so the total number of days off varies by location — often 20–25 or more when state-specific festivals are included.
What are India's 3 national holidays?+
The three mandatory national holidays are Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15) and Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti (October 2). All public and private establishments across India must remain closed on these dates under the Industrial Disputes Act and related rules.
When is Diwali 2025 in India?+
Monday, October 20, 2025. Because it falls on a Monday it creates an automatic three-day weekend from Saturday, October 18. Some states instead close on Naraka Chaturdasi (Sunday, October 19) where that is the day the state government declares as its compulsory Diwali holiday.
What is the difference between gazetted and restricted holidays?+
Gazetted holidays are the 17 days when central government offices close for everyone. Restricted holidays (optional holidays) are the Annexure-II list of 34 festival days in 2025 — central government employees may choose two of these per year as paid leave, and the office stays open. Private companies are not required to offer restricted holidays but often do as optional days off.
Do private companies have to follow gazetted holidays?+
Private companies must close on the three national holidays. For the remaining 14 gazetted holidays, there is no universal legal mandate for private sector closure — most companies do observe them as paid holidays, but practices vary by industry, state labour laws and individual employment contracts.
Which Indian holidays have variable dates?+
In 2025, three gazetted holidays depend on Islamic lunar calendar moon sighting: Id-ul-Fitr (March 31), Id-ul-Zuha (June 7) and Milad-un-Nabi (September 5). These may shift by one day once the moon is officially sighted. Most Hindu festivals in the gazetted list are fixed by the DoPT notification for the year, though some states calculate dates differently for local observances.
What were the best long weekends in India in 2025?+
Seven of the ten needed no leave at all: Holi (Mar 14–16), Id-ul-Fitr (Mar 29–31), Good Friday (Apr 18–20), Buddha Purnima (May 10–12), Independence Day with Janmashtami (Aug 15–17), Milad-un-Nabi (Sep 5–7) and Diwali (Oct 18–20). A single day of leave also turned Mahavir Jayanti (Apr 10–13), Gandhi Jayanti with Dussehra (Oct 2–5) and Christmas (Dec 25–28) into four-day breaks.
