India’s festival year is one of the richest in the world. On these pages, each community’s festivals are given the same care, in alphabetical order of community, followed by the national days we all share.
About dates. Most festivals follow a lunar or lunisolar calendar, a moon sighting, or a community’s own reckoning, so their Gregorian dates move from year to year and can differ by place or tradition. These pages explain how each date is set. We publish exact future dates only when they come from verified data. For the day your family observes, please follow your community’s authority, and use OIOA’s calendars and reminders to plan.
If a festival from your community or region is missing, please tell us what we missed.
- DiwaliWhat Diwali celebrates, the five days from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj, how its Amavasya date is fixed in the panchang, and how OIOA helps you plan.
- NavratriWhat Navratri celebrates, Chaitra and Sharad Navratri, garba and Durga Puja, how its dates follow Ashvina Shukla Pratipada, and how OIOA helps.
- Ramadan and Eid al-FitrWhat Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr mean, sehri and iftar, why the dates move 11 days a year and depend on moon sighting, and how OIOA helps you plan.
- Eid al-AdhaWhat Eid al-Adha commemorates, its link with Hajj, how its date on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah is set by the crescent, and how OIOA helps you plan.
- Mahavir Janma KalyanakMahavir Janma Kalyanak (Mahavir Jayanti) celebrates Bhagwan Mahavir's birth on Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi. What it marks and how it's observed.
- ParyushanParyushan, the Jain season of fasting and forgiveness: Shwetamber Paryushan and Samvatsari, Digamber Das Lakshana, and why dates differ.
- NavrozParsi New Year (Navroz) explained: why it falls on different dates in the Shahenshahi, Kadmi and Fasli calendars, Jamshedi Navroz on 21 March, and customs.
- Khordad SalKhordad Sal celebrates Zarathushtra's birth on Roj Khordad of Mah Farvardin, days after Navroz. What it marks and how the date is set.
- Guru Nanak GurpurabGuru Nanak Gurpurab celebrates Guru Nanak Dev Ji's birth on Katak Puranmashi: Akhand Path, Nagar Kirtan, langar, and how the date is set.
- VaisakhiVaisakhi celebrates the harvest and the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib. What it marks, how it's celebrated and how its date is set.
- Republic DayRepublic Day, 26 January, marks the Constitution of India coming into force in 1950: a national holiday shared by every community.
- Independence DayIndependence Day, 15 August, marks India's independence in 1947: a national holiday every community celebrates together. What it means.