The year of extended holidays

While major festivals and national holidays fell on Sundays in 2013, this year is seeing a slew of extended weekends as most of the festivals are falling on Fridays and Mondays

Among the many corporate gifts for New Year, gifting a calendar is also considered appropriate. There is a reason why calendars are considered good New Year gifts: it is because every individual checks the calendar to find out what days of the week national and public holidays are falling on at the beginning of the year.

2013 was a glum year for all holiday lovers, as major off-days like Independence Day, Diwali and Dasara fell on Sundays. But 2014 has as many as 14 extended weekends. This year most of the festivals are falling on Fridays; a reason for the IT crowd to celebrate. The three-day long weekend has come as a respite for many.

“I can’t believe this. First it was the Independence Day and then Ganesh Chaturthi was on Friday. It’s like a Ranbir Kapoor movie with caramel popcorn,” chuckles Shruthi from Microsoft.

“It’s great but it has its own share of woes,” laments Talwar. “So many nights of partying takes a heavy toll on the pockets if not the health and some employees take another two days to come out of the holiday mood,” he adds.
Also, some major festivals and national holidays like Gandhi Jayanti are falling on Mondays and Fridays.

“This happens once in a blue moon. We usually get a one-day leave for Diwali and last year Diwali was on Sunday. This year though, I am happy with things. It’s like being back in Mohali after Test matches in England,” says Srinivas, an analyst with Wipro.

Out of a total 17 national holidays, eight fall on Monday, five are on Fridays and nine are either on a Thursday or a Tuesday. This would give the employed an opportunity to have four days off, if you can avail one day leave.