Tag: Holidays

List of Holidays in April 2020

During the month of April, many regional public holidays are celebrated in the country. Listed below are the regional public holidays which will be celebrated:

Note: Babu Jagjivan Ram Birthday falls on 5 April 2020 which is a Sunday.

A brief description of Holidays in April 2020

• Odisha Day: The day commemorates the establishment of Odisha as a separate British India province. The state came into being on 1 April 1936. To mark the occasion, people indulge in merrymaking and decorating shops. Various cultural programs and competitions are also held.
• Ram Navami: The festival is one of the most important Hindu festivals. It celebrates the birth of Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. On the occasion, temples of Rama are decorated while people offer water to the Sun God as he is believed to be the ancestor of Lord Rama.
• Babu Jagjivan Ram Birthday: Telangana celebrates the birthday of Babu Jagjivan Ram, who was a politician and contributed significantly to the creation of the All-India Depressed Classes League. He entered the Legislative Assembly of Bihar in 1937.
• Mahavir Jayanti: Mahavir Jayanti marks the day when Lord Mahavir, the founder of Jainism was born. The day holds special significance for the Jain community. On the day of the festival, people engage themselves in charitable work while prayers are organized in temples dedicated to the spiritual teacher of Jainism.
• Maundy Thursday: Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus Christ’s mandate. Maundy is the shortened form of the Latin term ‘man datum’ and it means command. Celebrated on the Thursday before Easter, it is believed that on this day Christ celebrated his final Passover with his disciples and had washed their feet to show his humility.
• Shab e-Barat: On the day of Shab e-Barat, people stay awake the entire night, pray to Allah, and seek forgiveness for any sins committed in the past. Sweets are distributed among people on the night of Shab e-Barat.
• Good Friday: The day commemorates the final hours of Jesus Christ’s life, crucifixion, and death. Special church services and prayers are held on Good Friday. In many churches, a bitter drink is served after the service. The drink is made of leaves, vinegar, and other ingredients.
• Easter Saturday: Easter Saturday commemorates the day Jesus Christ lay in his tomb after the crucifixion. It is the final day of Lenten fasting. People celebrate Easter Saturday as a day of somber reflection.
• Biju: The festival which is a three-day-long colorful one is celebrated by the Chakma. During the festival, different cultural programs are performed which highlight the indigenous people’s distinctive cultural heritage. Biju marks the end of the previous year and celebrates the Bangla New Year.
• Bohag Bihu: Also known as Rongali Bihu, Bohag Bihu marks the beginning of the Assamese new year. The festival is celebrated with feasts, music, and dancing. The festivities run for almost a month with various cultural events being held around the state.
• Ashoka’s birth anniversary: While historians still cannot agree on the Mauryan emperor’s birth date, the Bihar government has declared April 14 as a public holiday to commemorate Ashoka’s birthday.
• Dr Ambedkar Jayanti: The day commemorates the birth anniversary of B.R Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian constitution. On the day, processions are taken out and statues of Ambedkar are beautifully decorated. People pay homage to the social reformer on the day for his immense contribution.
• Maha Vishuba Sankranti: The festival is also celebrated as Odia New year or Pana Sankranti or Mesha Sankranti. The day marks the start of the new Odia almanac. To mark the occasion, Odia people prepare a sweet concoction known as ‘Pana’ which is distributed amongst everyone.
• Tamil New Year: Also known as Puthandu, it is the first day of the Tamil calendar. Observed as family time, people greet one another on this day. On the day, Tamilians clean their houses, light the family puja rooms and visit temples. The same day is celebrated as a traditional new year in many other states of the country.
• Bengali New Year: As the name suggests, it is the celebration of the Bengali New year. The date of the festival is set according to the solar Bengali calendar. The day is marked by fairs, processions, and family time. Festive foods like confectionery and sweets are distributed to friends and family members.
• Vishu: It is the new year festival of Kerala. The day is the appropriate time to offer oblations to Lord Vishnu. The day indicates the movement of the sun to Aries. Farmers begin the plowing of land and other agricultural activities.
• Cheiraoba: Cheiraoba festival is the celebration of the Manipuri New year. This is a sacred festival and hence people clean and decorate their houses on the occasion. To mark the occasion, locals climb the nearest hilltops as it signifies the rise of human civilization.
• Himachal Day: Himachal Day is celebrated to commemorate the creation of the state. On the day, a grand parade takes place where the Governor and the Chief Minister addresses the gathering. Various cultural programs are also held on the occasion.
• Vaisakhi: Vaisakhi is celebrated as a harvest festival. People sing, dance, and wear festive clothes. It marks the start of the new year in the Nanakshahi solar calendar. The Khalsa Panth organisation was established during the Vaisakhi festival, hence Sikhs commemorate the first five men who comprised the Khalsa with five symbols of purity and courage.
• Tithi of Damodar Deva: The day marks the death anniversary of Damodaradev, a Vaishnava saint who was a contemporary of Sankardeva. It falls on Shukla Paksha Pratipada in the Vaishakh month of the north Indian calendar. The customs and rituals followed are different from those in the satras of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva.
• Parashurama Jayanti: Celebrated during Shukla Paksha Tritiya in the month of Vaishakha, it celebrates the birth anniversary of the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. With people believing that Parashurama still lives on earth, he is not worshipped. However, there are many temples on the western coast of the country which are dedicated to Lord Parashurama.
• Basava Jayanti: The day marks the birth anniversary of Basavanna, a 12th-century poet-philosopher. He was considered to be the founding saint of the Lingayat sect. On the day of the festival, people offer prayers to Lord Basaveshwar, distribute sweets and greetings and take part in various events organized to mark the day.
• Garia Puja: It is celebrated as a harvest festival by the ethnic tribes residing in the state of Tripura. Celebrated with a lot of pomp and gaiety, the puja is done to please God Garia. The god is worshipped to bestow the people with peace, wealth, children, and domestic animals.