Indian and US Holidays

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US Holidays:

New Year's Day, January 1st.
Birthday of Martin Luther King, third Monday in January.
Inauguration Day, January 20th every four years, starting in 1937.
Washington's Birthday, third Monday in February since 1971
Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May.
Memorial Day, last Monday in May since 1971;
Flag Day, June 14th.
United States of America's Independence Day, July 4.
Labor Day, first Monday in September.
Columbus Day, second Monday in October;
Election Day, Tuesday on or after November 2.
Veterans Day, November 11th ;
Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November.
Christmas Day, December 25th.

Other occassions:

Groundhog Day, February 2.
Lincoln's Birthday, February 12.
Valentine's Day, February 14.
Washington's Birthday, February 22.
St. Patrick's Day, March 17.
April Fools's Day, April 1.
Earth Day, April 22 (since 1970; see Earthday.net)
Mothers' Day, second Sunday in May (36 USC Sec. 142).
Fathers' Day, third Sunday in June (36 USC Sec. 142a).
Parents' Day, fourth Sunday in July (36 USC Sec. 142c).
Grandparents' Day, Sunday after Labor Day (36 USC Sec. 142b).
Columbus Day (traditional), October 12.
United Nations Day, October 24.
Halloween, October 31.

Daylight Saving time begins, (currently) first Sunday in April (but not in Arizona, Hawaii, and most of the counties of Indiana).
Federal Income Taxes are due April 15th; if the 15th is a Saturday or Sunday, then the due date is the Monday after the 15th.
Daylight Saving Time ends, last Sunday in October (but not in Arizona, Hawaii, and most of the counties of Indiana).



Indian Festivals and Holidays:

Lohri (13th January)
In this festival, the climax of winter is celebrated with bonfires and singing. Traditionally, Lohri marks the end of winter.

Kite-Flying Festival (January)
Held on Makar Sankranti day on the green lawns above Palika Bazaar, Connaught Place, this colourful extravaganza attracts national as well as international participants.

Basant Panchami (2nd February)
The biting winter winds continuing till the end of January-early February, when the Hindu festival of Basant Panchami welcomes the spring. This is the season when the prestigious Mughal gardens behind Rashtrapati Bhavan are opened to public for a month.

Thyagaraja Festival (February)
An enthusiastic display of south Indian music and dance, opposite Jawaharlal Nehru University in Vaikunthnath temple.

Maha Shivratri (March)
Maha Shivratri is celebrated on the 'Amavasya' night of 'Phalguna'. It is said Lord Shiva danced the 'Tandava Nritya', which means cosmic dance on this dark night. He is worshipped at temples with all night vigils and prayers and unmarried women keep daylong fasts so that Shiva may grant them good husbands.

Amir Khusrau's Anniversary (April)
Amir Khusrau's Anniversary is celebrated in April, with a fair in Nizamuddin and prayers and 'qawwali' singing. The event also sees the National Drama Festival, staged mostly at the Rabindra Bhawan.

Baisakhi (13th April)
In north India, the Hindu New Year is celebrated on Baisakhi in mid-April just as the sun begins to get fierce and the dusty winds herald summer. It is also known as the beginning of the harvest season.

Buddha Jayanti (May)
The first full moon night in May marks the birth of the Lord Buddha. Prayer meetings are held at Buddha ihar, Ring Road and Buddha ihar, Mandir Marg. Buddha Purnima is the month of Vaisakha', commemorates not just Lord Buddha's birth, but also his 'Enlightenment' and gaining 'Nirvana'.

Mahavir Jayanti (May)
The birth of Lord Mahavira, who founded Jainism, is celebrated around this time of the year with prayers and processions.

International Mango Festival (July)
A peculiar event, with over five hundred types of mango on show, usually in Talkatora Stadium. Tourists can enjoy free tasting and a cultural programme to sample.

Phoolkwalon-ki-Sair (October)
In early October, a festival specific to Mehrauli, in Delhi, takes place. This is the Phulwalon-ki-Sair or the Flower Sellers Procession, which originated in the 16th century.
The highlight is a procession of people carrying decorated floral fans, which are blessed at the shrine of the 13th century Sufi saint, Khwaja Utb-ud-din Bakhtyar Kaki and at the Hindu temple of Jogmaya, both in Mehrauli. The procession ends with a formal ceremony at the Jahaz Mahal, a 16th century pleasure resorts by the side of a lake.

Qutub Festival (October)
Delhi Tourism organizes the popular Qutub Festival in October. Musicians and dancers perform at night by the city's 12th century landmark, the Qutub Minar . This festival gives tourists a glimpse of the cultural grandeur of India.

Guru Purab (November - December)
Guru Purab is the celebration of the birth of first of the ten Sikh gurus, Guru Nanak. 'Nagar Kirtans' are taken out through the streets and in the Gurdwaras, 'Granthees' recite verses from the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs.

Christmas (25th December)
On 25th of December the capital witnesses special Christian Eve entertainment's at its all-major hotels and restaurants and the midnight mass and services at all churches.

New Year's Eve (31st December)
The culmination of the Indian festive spirit is celebrated on the 31st of December, with most hotels and restaurants offering special food and entertainment.

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Friday, January 1             New Year?s Day
Monday, January 18            Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 15*       Washington?s Birthday
Monday, May 31                    Memorial Day
Monday, July 5**            Independence Day
Monday, September 6      Labor Day
Monday, October 11        Columbus Day
Thursday, November 11    Veterans Day
Thursday, November 25    Thanksgiving Day
Friday, December 24***    Christmas Day

* This holiday is designated as "Washington?s Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.

** July 4, 2010 (the legal public holiday for Independence Day), falls on a Sunday. For most Federal employees, Monday, July 5, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See section 3(a) of Executive order 11582, February 11, 1971.)

*** December 25, 2010 (the legal public holiday for Christmas Day), falls on a Saturday. For most Federal employees, Friday, December 24, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).)

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Some more important dates:

April 15: Tax holiday (US)
May 15, 2010: Armed Forces Day [3rd saturday in May]