India (Punjab) : public and bank holidays, closure of banks, stock exchanges, school vacations

Hinduism : Saint Kabir Das reached the abode of God in Maghar close to Gorakhpur in 1518. However, immediate dispute began regarding the way in which his final rites must be performed. It is believed that both Hindus and Muslims claimed the body to perform the funeral rites. To their utter surprise, Kabir Das stood up and asked them to lift his body and view beneath. Lying there was nothing but a beautiful array of flowers. Devotees and his followers were speechless with Hindus along with some flowers leaving to Varanasi and the rest of the flowers taken by Muslims to Maghar. [festivalsofindia]

Culture : Commemoration of the June 1984 attack on Golden Temple.

School holidays :

Culture : On the occasion of International Day of Yoga morning only

Muslim, Sufi :

Banks only :

Culture : (December 26, 1899 – July 31, 1940) was an Indian independence activist, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer in March 1940 in what has been described as an avenging of the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre. Udham Singh Kamboj changed his name to Mohammad Singh Azad, symbolizing the unification of the three major religions of India: Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. Singh is considered one of the best-known revolutionaries of the Indian independence struggle.

Secular holiday : Commemorates the day in 1947 when India achieved freedom from British rule

Hinduism : Teej, Hartalika. On this day Goddess Parvati is worshipped. Women, married and unmarried, mainly of Khas ethnicity, assemble at one place, in their finest attire and start dancing and singing devotional songs. Amidst all this, the grand feast takes place. The jollity often goes on till midnight, after which the 24hour fast starts.

Hinduism : Hindu celebration of the birthday of Sri Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Krishna. Sweets, fruits and milk products are available in abundance. Sri or Shree: A prefix denoting auspiciousness

Culture : The religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign, and eternal living guru following the lineage of the ten human Sikh gurus of the Sikh religion. [Wikipedia]

Banks only :

Secular holiday :

Banks only :

Secular holiday : He is the man who played a significant role in achiveing independence for India from the British Empire with his simplicity and strong will power. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as 'Bapu' or 'Father of the nation', was born on the 2nd of October in 1869, in Porbunder, Gujarat. He studied law in U.K and practiced law in South Africa. But he left his profession and returned to India to join the Indian freedom struggle. Gandhiji was a preacher of truth and 'Ahimsa'(non-violence). He started the 'Satyagraha' movement for the Indian freedom struggle. He believed in living a simple life and in 'Swadeshi'. He proved to the world that freedom can be achieved through the path of non-violence. Gandhiji is a symbol of peace and truth. www.indiaa2z.com

Secular holiday : A legendary Indian king of Agroha credited with the establishment of a kingdom of traders in North India named Agroha, and is known for his compassion in refusing to slaughter animals. [Wikipedia]

School holidays :

Hinduism : The victory of Durga on evil forces, the destruction of Vasanas (subjectivity, selfishness, desires...) and the achievement of the deepest Self. Dominance of Saraswati (pure science) over Lakshmi (applied science)

Hinduism : Celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself.[2] He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry. The Yoga Vasistha is attributed to him. A religious movement called Valmikism is based on Valmiki's teachings as presented in the Ramayana and the Yoga Vasistha. [Wikipedia]

Culture : (ca. 400 BC) is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry. (Wikipedia)

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Sikhism : The holy book of Sikh given the highest regard in the religion.

Hinduism : all creating is the Personification of ultimate reality and deity of the creative power .According to the Rigveda. It/He is considered to be the architect, divine engineer of universe from before the advent of time.

Culture : Kartar Singh Sarabha (24 May 1896 – 16 November 1915) was an Indian Sikh revolutionary who is among the most famous and reputed martyrs of Punjab. He was only 17 years old when he became a member of Ghadar Party, then came up as a leading luminary member and started fight for an independent India. He was one the most active persons in the movement. Singh was executed at Lahore in November 1915 for his role in the movement in February 1915 when he was only 19 years old. [Wikipedia]

Sikhism : Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) Founder of the religion of Sikhism and the first of ten Sikh Gurus. Sikhs believe that all subsequent Gurus possessed Guru Nanak’s divinity and religious authority Wikipedia

Sikhism : (1 April 1621 – 24 November 1675), revered as the ninth Nanak, was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. Tegh Bahadur continued in the spirit of the first guru, Nanak; his 115 poetic hymns are in the text Guru Granth Sahib. Tegh Bahadur resisted the forced conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and non-Muslims to Islam, and was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for refusing to convert to Islam. Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of the Guru's body. The martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur is remembered as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur every year on 24 November, according to the Nanakshahi calendar released by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 2003.

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Catholic or protestant : Since pre-historic times in Europe, festivities (bonfires, offrerings) were marking the beginning of longer hours of daylight with fires and ritual. The Roman festival of Saturnalia lasted several days in December (gambling and offerings). Germanic tribes also celebrated mid-winter (drinking and rituals). The Bulgarian (with Koleduvane) and the Polish (with Gwiazdka) perpetuate this tradition. Jesus of Nazareth was probably born in springtime (Reformists favour autumn). But in the 4th century, December 25th was chosen for the celebration of his birth by Pope Julius I (Bishop Liberus is also mentioned in 354 A.D.). Thus, a Christian element was introduced in the long-established mid-winter festivals. Before 1582, the Papal States and other Italian city states celebrated New Year’s Day on Christmas Day.