Yahoo Finance Here’s the full list long weekends in India in 2021
Start making your travel plans already
2020 may have been a rough year but the New Year is always filled with promise. The COVID-19 vaccine is well on its way to most countries and life may well begin to return to something resembling normalcy in the coming months. This means many of us may be able to go back to work again, meet friends, and yes, travel too.
To make this easier, we’ve drawn up a list of long weekends that most of us will share all over the country. There are bound to be more depending on the regional holidays of each state. It helps that 2021 begins with a weekend and ends with another. February and June have absolutely no holidays whatsoever. And because Christmas falls on a Saturday, December doesn’t have a single one either. Then again, all of December feels like one long weekend so that should keep you going, right?
But to get you through the rest of the year, here are all the long weekends in 2021 so you can make your plans to get out of town and unwind at your favourite beach (or hill station).
January 2021
January 1-3: With New Year’s Day falling on a Friday, your NYE party can start on Thursday and go all the way till Sunday evening. There’s likely no better way than to start your New Year’s with a bang but it may also not be a bad idea to head up to the hills, snuggle up in bed with your loved ones and unwind in peace and quiet before the madness of 2021 begins, right?
January 14-17 (with a day off on January 15): If you work in a state where Makar Sankranti and Pongal are celebrated in a big way and can take an additional day off, you will have a four-day weekend starting from January 14. Fly a kite, enjoy Pongal, live it up!
January 23-26 (with a day off on January 25): Republic Day falls on Tuesday, which means if you can play hookie on Monday, you’ll have another four day weekend all to yourself. If you don’t like to fly, a road trip could do you good too!
February 2021
After three long weekends in January, it’s time to get some work done for a change in February, which brings in no holidays whatsoever. But it’s a good thing that the month has just 28 days this year so that’s an incentive to get through February, right?
March 2021
March 27-29: Just one long weekend in March 2021 thanks to the festival of colours. Holi falls on a Monday this year, which means you can head over to Mathura or Vrindavan to witness the festival in its full glory.
April 2021
April 2-4: Holi and Good Friday fall in the same week, which means that will be one very short and likely unproductive week. But Good Friday also means you have two back-to-back long weekends without having to take a single day off. This weekend consider travelling to Goa. Participate in the solemn Good Friday rituals and partake of the Easter festivities on Sunday.
April 10-13 (with a day off on April 12): Guda Padwa, Ugadi, Vishu fall on Tuesday April 13. Which means you can manage to convince your boss to let you take Monday off you’re sorted for a four-day weekend. Celebrate the festivals by going out of town or simply taking some time off and spending it with your family!
May 2021
May 13-16 (with a day off on May 14): Just one potential long weekend in May 2021 thanks to Eid-ul-Fitar, which falls on a Thursday. Take the day off on Friday and enjoy the Eid festivities in your city, or head down to Lucknow or Hyderabad for some delicious kebabs and biryanis.
June 2021
It’s mid-year now. The sixth month of 2021 is bereft of any holidays whatsoever, let along long weekends. But you’ll likely be busy as the school’s academic year gets off to a new start.
July 2021
July 10-12: If you’re living in Odisha, this is a big weekend for you with the Rath Yatra, which may be held this year with a lot more gusto than it was in 2020 when it almost got cancelled.
July 17-20 (with a day off on July 19): Bakri Id brings in another long weekend if you’re able to swing in a day off on Monday, July 19. Make the most of it!
August 2021
August 7-10: The solemn rituals of Muharram will be held on Tuesday, August 10 giving you the option of taking the Monday off and heading out to a mindful retreat.
August 14-16: Independence Day falls on a Sunday but Parsi New Year falls the day after giving you yet another long weekend in August. Parsi New Year isn’t celebrated in most states. It’s a holiday in Gujarat and Maharashtra where most of the Parsi population lives. Parsis don’t allow non-Parsis in their fire temples but a road trip to Udvada, where the oldest and the most important fire temple of the Parsis stands, would be a great experience.
September 2021
September 10-12: Yet another festival that isn’t necessarily celebrated nationwide is Ganesh Chaturthi. In the states where the festival is celebrated on a large scale (such as Maharashtra), you will get the day off giving you the singular long weekend in September.
October 2021
September 15-17: Dussehra falls on a Friday, which means you can stay in and celebrate the festival with your family and friends or just head out to the nearest beach or hill station and unwind in the tranquillity that only a getaway can offer.
November 2021
November 3-7 (with a day off on November 5): It’s the biggest festival of the country and you’re duty bound to celebrate it by staying at home. Which needn’t be altogether bad. After a year of not seeing your family thanks to the pandemic, this may be a good time to catch up and remind yourself what it is that’s most important to you.
November 19-21: If all the filial bonding and family get-togethers have been all too much for you, you can make the most of the Guru Nanak Jayanti weekend and get away to the nearest resort before the year draws to a close. This is also your last long weekend of 2021.
December 2021
As the year draws to a close, we look forward to Christmas and New Year festivities. However with Christmas falling on a Saturday this year, December will have no holidays. The festive spirit of the season, however, makes it easier to get through the month as you plan your plans for New Year’s Eve, which falls on a Friday this year.
