October Holidays 2021

It’s raining festivals in October. So, if you are planning for a trip with your family, here’s a comprehensive list of October 2021 holidays. Mark the dates and plan your travels accordingly.

Getting to know the dates when you have holidays well in advance comes in handy when planning a trip with family or friends. As such, here we have compiled a list of public and bank holidays that fall in the month of October 2021.

List of Public Holidays in October 2021

In the tenth month of the year i.e., October a number of festivals are celebrated in the country. Given this fact, the number of working days in the month of October are fewer than other months of the year. Listed below are the festivals that are to be celebrated in October 2021:

** Check the holidays with the government gazette.

List of Monthly Holidays 2021

List of Bank Holidays in October 2021

Bank holidays are those where public and private sector banks operating in the country remain closed. As per the country’s central bank i.e., Reserve Bank of India, banks remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of a month. In addition to those days, banks in the month of October 2021 shall also remain closed on the dates listed in the table below:

Note: Please authenticate the dates with the holiday list issued by Reserve Bank of India.

Bank (Saturdays) Holidays in October 2021

Banks remain shut on the 10th and 24th of October 2021 on account of the second and fourth Saturdays.

During bank holidays in October 2021, banking institutions will remain closed. ATMs shall be open to the public service.

India has three national holidays: Republic Day, which is celebrated on 26 January every year; Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, which is celebrated on 02 October every year; and Independence Day, which is celebrated on 15 August every year. The month of October 2021 has many holidays for all the classes of people in addition to this national holiday. Why do we need holidays? Well, we all need holidays to take a break from hectic work schedules, celebrate festivals with the people whom we love the most, and go on a trip to the destination we like the most.

List of Trading Holidays 2021

A brief description of October Holidays 2021

• Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday – Also known as Gandhi Jayanti, the day is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. It is one of the three national holidays of the country. The day is marked by tributes, prayers, and commemorative ceremonies. The statues of Mahatma Gandhi are decorated with garlands on the day. It needs to be mentioned here the day is celebrated as the ‘International Day of Non-Violence’
• First Day of Bathukamma: Bathukamma is floral festival celebrated predominantly by the women of Telangana and some parts of Andhra Pradesh. Every year this festival is celebrated as per Shathavahana calendar for nine days starting Bhadrapada Pournami (also known as Mahalaya Amavasya or Pitru Amavasya) till Durgashtami, usually in September–October of Gregorian calendar. Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri. It starts on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and the 9-day festivities will culminate on "Saddula Bathukamma" or "Pedda Bathukamma" festival on Aswayuja Navami, popularly known as Durgashtami which is two days before Dussehra. Bathukamma is followed by Boddemma, which is a 7-day festival. Boddemma festival that marks the ending of Varsha Ruthu whereas Bathukamma festival indicates the beginning of Sarad or Sharath Ruthu. Bathukamma represents cultural spirit of Telangana. It is the festival for feminine felicitation. On this special occasion women dress up in the traditional sari combining it with jewels and other accessories. Teenage Girls wear Langa-Oni/Half-Sarees/Lehenga Choli combining it with jewels in order to bring out the traditional grace of the attire.
• Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti – The festival is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Maharaja Agrasen. It is observed by the Agarwal and Agrahari communities. On the day of the festival, Maharaja Agrasen is worshipped. People also offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi and seeking peace and prosperity. To mark the occasion, various cultural functions are held that are based on the life of the legendary king. People also organise processions, medical camps and indulge in social welfare activities.
• Ghatasthapana – Ghatasthapana marks the beginning of Navratri. The festival is a significant ritual when it comes to Navratri celebrations. As part of the festival, a ritual pot called a kalasha or kalash is filled with holy water, coated with cowdung, and sown in barley seeds. The pot or kalash containing the holy water is placed in a sand pit and worshipped twice a day during the entire nine days of Navratri.
• Maha Saptami – The day marks the seventh day of Durga Puja celebrations. On the day, devotees offer prayers to the Goddess and seek her blessings. Devotees offer the deity special dishes on Maha Saptami. A sacred meal (Bhog) is prepared on the day and is distributed among the masses as ‘Prasad’. It needs to be mentioned here that devotees on Maha Saptami perform ‘Kalratri Puja’ and ‘Saraswati Puja’ as well.
• Maha Ashtami – This day is one of the most auspicious days of the Durga Puja festival. Also known as Durga Ashtami, the weapons of Goddess Durga are worshipped by devotees to seek power. As part of Maha Ashtami, people keep a day long fast and temples organize large scale pujas and havans. The eight avatars of Goddess Durga known as Ashtanayikas are also worshipped on the day. It ends with the Sandhi puja, which ushers in Maha Navami.
• Maha Navami – Maha Navami is the third day of the Durga Puja celebrations and the ninth day of the Navratri festival. To mark this day, Shodhasopachar puja is done by devotees. In addition to this, Navami hom, a special ritual is also done by the priest. In some places of the country, bali or sacrifice of animals to please the goddess is practiced as part of the festival.
• Vijaya Dashami – Vijaya Dashami marks the end of the Navratri and Durga puja celebrations. The day is celebrated on the tenth day of Ashvin month as per the Hindi calendar. The celebrations of Vijaya Dashami differ depending on the place where it is celebrated. In certain places, large effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghanath are burnt to mark the occasion while in other place, idols of Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Karthikeya are carried to a river front for immersion after puja is done by the priest.
• Mawlid – Also known as Id-e-Milad or Milad un-Nabi, the festival commemorates the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. As part of the festival, night long prayer meetings and parades are held. Communal meals in mosques and other community buildings are also organized to mark the celebrations. People on the occasion of Mawlid, dress up in green clothing as the colour represents Islam and paradise.
• Lakshmi Puja – Lakshmi Puja is a Hindu religious festival and is believed to be the birthday of Goddess Lakshmi. On the occasion, people wear new clothes, light diyas and offer prayers to the Goddess. As it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi likes cleanliness, people clean their houses and draw a rangoli at the doorstep of the house on the occasion.
• Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti - The day marks the birth anniversary of the Maharishi Valmiki, who is also known as Adi Kavi Valmiki. The festival is observed on the full moon day of Ashwin month as per the Hindu calendar. To mark the occasion, processions are carried out. Food distribution camps, meetings are held in various parts of the country on the occasion. It needs to be mentioned here that the festival is also observed as Pargat Diwas.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jayanti – The day is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of India’s Iron man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The day is also celebrated as National Unity Day or Rastriya Ekta Diwas because Patel worked extensively to unite India. On the day, tributes are paid to the leader and various programmes are held across the country.

With all the holidays that fall in the month of October in 2021 mentioned above, you can start planning a trip with the loved ones straight away.

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