Public holidays in Goa

For a tourism intensive state like Goa it has nearly 14 days of holidays every year. Government offices normally work for a five-day-week with Saturdays and Sundays being the weekly off. The towns and cities of Goa close pretty early and 8 pm is often the closing time for almost every establishment in the state . There is also an afternoon siesta break in Goa which is from around 1.30PM till up to 3.30PM. The Goan siesta time is pretty infectious and even migrant traders who set shop in Goa get the bug of the Goan siesta and while they resist closure of their shops in the initial stages of their business in Goa, soon they also fall for the noon leisure trap of the Goan siesta. So all the restaurants, shops, and generally commercial establishments remain shut in this period.

The major holidays in Goa for the public are around Christmas time , Ganesh Chaturthi Festival and Diwali . Other public holidays include Republic day, Id-ul-Zuha, GFudi Padva, Good Friday, Independence day, Gandhi Jayanthi, Dussehra, Diwali, Id-ul-fitr, Feast of St Francis Xavier, Goa Liberation Day, Mahashivratri, Holi and Id-e-milad. Banks may remain open during local religious celebrations. The weekend holidays for the public sector are Saturday and Sunday.

During festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Christmas, it is a special homecoming for naïve Goans. Goa is filled with a lot of Goan people these occasions with family, relatives and friends travelling to Goa to celebrate the festival from abroad or from other parts of India.

During Carnival and during the buildup for Christmas and New year, Goa is besieged with a high tourist inflow. Naturally the hotels and the guest inns are packed to capacity and therefore it is advisable to book your holiday to Goa in advance by making your bookings for trains, buses and flights if you intend to be in Goa during this period. The following is the month wise details of all the holidays that Goa has to offer throughout the year

January
1st- New Year's Day Festivity and lot of fanfare marks the onset of the New Year in Goa. People in Goa have lavish New years day with cheer, dance events and celebrations happening all around. Since there is a good catholic population in Goa, New Year is celebrated with a lot of energy and enthusiasm

26th- Republic Day of India
This day is declared as a National Holiday all over the country and marks a very special day in India's struggle for Independence. Most businesses and public places remain closed on this day as a tribute to the Republic of India.


March
Maha Shiva Ratri This is a Hindu festival which is celebrated all over the country and is The dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. The people of Goa visit temples to give offerings to their God in the form of milk, fruits, etc.

Holi
Holi is the festival of colours and is celebrated all over Goa with pomp and colour. One of the most popular festivals of India, people from all walks of life irrespective of their religion celebrate this festival with lots of fun, cheer and happiness. If you venture out this day in modern Goa, expect to be smeared with colorful powder and even drenched in colored water.

The Festival of Shigmo
Shigmo is a colourful festival of Goa much like Holi. Each year around the month of March, the festival of Shigmo is celebrated in Goa. There are plenty of colourful floats and the streets in Goa come alive with the floats depicitng Goan ways of life etc. Shigmo is celebrated to mark the beginning of Spring.

April
Baisakhi
This festival marks the end of the harvest season and is a Hindu festival which is celebrated in the rest of India and actually not observed much in Goa. However there is a holiday sometimes.


Good Friday
Good Friday is the celebration of the death of Christ who died for the sins of mankind. Good Friday is the day when Jesus was crucified. Catholics in Goa observe this day with a great reverence and attend mass in the afternoon.

May
Eid-ul-Milad
This festival marks the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed for the Muslims and is celebrated all over Goa.

Buddha Purnima
This festival is celebrated to mark the birthday of Buddha amongst the Buddhist clan of Goa.

August 15^th- Independence Day of India
The independence day of India is a great day for every Indian and Goa is no different. The national flag is hoisted in every taluka and district in Goa and Goans show their pride in their belonging of India.

Ganesh Chaturthi
This day is celebrated to mark the birthday of the Hindu elephant God, called Ganesha. It is a major festival in Maharashtra and in some parts of Karnataka and is celebrated with equal enthusiasm and fervour in Goa.

October
2^nd – Gandhi Jayanti
This day is another important National Holiday as it marks the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Itr si also the Birthday of another great Indian freedom fighter Lal Bahadur Shastri. However this day is more dedicated to the great Mahatma.

Dussehra
This is a nine-day long festival celebrated with much fervor and enthusiasm in the north of India among the Hindus and is celebrated with equal festivity in Goa. Peole in Goa buy new some new things on this day and very often vehicles such as cars and commercial vehicles are bought on this day by the Hindus in Goa. You will see plenty of cars and other vehicles moving around ion Goa with a garland of flowers.

Diwali/Deepawali
The festival of lights is famous Indian festival all over the world and is celebrated in Goa with equal fervour. Lights mark the essence of this festival which is celebrated for days


December
3rd December - St Francis Feast

The feast of St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa is celebrated on this day every year. Masses being as early as 5 am and continue till afternoon. It is a day which brings all Goans to the basilica at Old Goa to pay obeisance to the saint whose body is still miraculously preserved in a casket in the Basilica and is opened for veneration at that time of exposition of his relics every ten years which is a huge draw for tourists.

25^th – Christmas/X-Mas
The festival of Christmas in Goa is the most liveliest event of the whole Goan year and is the busiest week in the whole year for the tourism industry in Goa with hotels jam packed to capacity. Christmas carols, Brightly lit stars,Christmas buntings, Santa claus, dance events, and plenty of goodies make this day an unmistakable day for Goans. The celebrations continue till New year.