Checking your calendar and asking "is it a Indian holiday today" is basically a national pastime in India. Honestly, if you live here or work with teams across the subcontinent, you know the drill. You wake up, the traffic feels a little too light, or your WhatsApp groups are suspiciously quiet, and suddenly you're wondering if you missed a memo about a bank closure or a regional festival.
It's complicated.
India doesn't just have holidays; it has a layering system that would make a software architect weep. You have Gazetted holidays, Restricted holidays, State-specific holidays, and then the wild card: the "Dry Day" which isn't always a holiday but definitely feels like one for some.
The confusion behind is it a Indian holiday today
Today is Thursday, January 15, 2026. If you're looking at your phone right now, the answer depends entirely on which state you're standing in. In much of India, today is Makar Sankranti. But wait. In Tamil Nadu, it's Pongal. In Punjab, people probably wrapped up Lohri celebrations last night but might still be in a festive lull today. In Assam, it's Magh Bihu.
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This is why a simple Google search often fails you. A generic "Indian holiday" list might show January 26th (Republic Day) as the next big one, but that ignores the fact that millions of people are currently off work today for harvest festivals.
India's Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions releases a list every year, but that’s just the baseline. They mandate 14 compulsory holidays, but then there's a list of "Restricted" holidays where employees can choose two or three days off from a massive list of about 30 options. So, technically, it might be a holiday for your colleague but not for you.
Why the date shifts every single year
Most Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar or specific solar entries (like the Sun entering Capricorn today for Sankranti). This means you can't just memorize that "Holiday X is on October 10th." Last year, it might have been on the 12th. Next year, who knows?
Take Diwali or Eid. They move. If you're trying to figure out "is it a Indian holiday today" based on last year's calendar, you're going to end up showing up to a locked office or, worse, being the only person who actually worked while everyone else was eating sweets.
Bank Holidays vs. Public Holidays: The Big Divide
There's a massive difference between a "Public Holiday" and a "Bank Holiday" in India. This is where most people get tripped up. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has its own schedule. Even if the schools are open and shops are buzzing, the banks might be shut.
Generally, banks follow the Negotiable Instruments Act. They are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. If today is a second Saturday, and you’re wondering why your NEFT transfer hasn't cleared, there’s your answer.
- National Holidays (The Big Three): Republic Day (Jan 26), Independence Day (Aug 15), and Gandhi Jayanti (Oct 2). These are non-negotiable. Everything shuts down.
- State Holidays: This is the chaos zone. If it's Chhath Puja, Bihar is closed, but Karnataka is business as usual.
- Religious Festivals: These often get localized. Holi is huge in the North, but in some parts of the South, it's just another Tuesday.
The "Dry Day" factor
Sometimes people ask "is it a Indian holiday today" because they're trying to plan a party. In India, certain holidays are designated as Dry Days, meaning the sale of alcohol is prohibited.
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What’s annoying is that some states add extra dry days for local elections or specific death anniversaries of local leaders. You might have a perfectly normal working day where the liquor stores are inexplicably shuttered. It pays to check the local excise department's notifications if you're planning a weekend getaway.
How to actually verify a holiday without losing your mind
Don't just trust a random website. They often scrape old data.
- Check the RBI website directly: If you care about banking, the RBI publishes a state-wise list of bank holidays. It is the gold standard for financial timing.
- Look at the State Government Gazette: Every state (Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, etc.) issues its own notification in December for the upcoming year.
- Your HR Portal: If you work in corporate India, your company's holiday list is the only one that actually matters for your paycheck. Many tech companies trade "regional" holidays for a "floating" holiday policy.
The 2026 Festive Pulse
Since we are in mid-January, we are currently in the peak of the winter harvest season. This is arguably the most complex time of the year for the "is it a Indian holiday today" query. You have a week-long stretch where different parts of the country take turns being on holiday.
It starts with Lohri in the North, transitions into Makar Sankranti/Pongal/Bihu today, and then everything settles down until Republic Day. If you're trying to get a government official on the phone in Chennai today, forget about it. It’s Pongal. They are home with family, and honestly, you should probably be relaxing too.
Real-world impact of missing a holiday notification
I once knew a guy who flew from Mumbai to Bangalore for a high-stakes meeting on a day that happened to be Basava Jayanthi. He landed, took a cab to the office, and found the gates locked. He hadn't checked the local Karnataka holiday list because it wasn't a holiday in Maharashtra.
That’s the nuance. "Indian holiday" is a bit of a misnomer. It’s usually a "Regional Indian Holiday."
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Actionable steps for your calendar
To stop guessing "is it a Indian holiday today," you need a better system than a morning Google search.
First, subscribe to a localized Google Calendar for Indian Holidays, but make sure it distinguishes between Gazetted and Restricted. Second, if you deal with banks, bookmark the RBI’s "Holiday" page—it lets you filter by city, which is a lifesaver. Third, always check the "Long Weekend" forecasts at the start of the year. In 2026, we have several holidays falling on Mondays or Fridays, which means the country basically stops functioning for 72 hours at a time.
If you're in India today and things feel quiet, enjoy the break. If you're working, double-check your regional calendar; you might be entitled to a compensatory off later!