That all-girls/boys trip you kept putting off, the Manali dreams you traded for other plans, the couples’ getaway you talk about every time you meet your friends, may all just finally work out this year. Thanks to the numerous long weekends that dot the year 2020, you would be able to do all of this and more, without running out of your leaves for the year.
When the calendar for the year 2019 was out, people were all ecstatic because of the number of national or government holidays that fell on Fridays or Mondays. And almost as if every travel bug’s prayer was answered, this year has even more. The deal here is about 12 long weekends this year!
In January alone, excluding the bygones, namely, New Year’s Day (January 1 – Wednesday), Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti (Jan 2 – Thursday), there's Lohri (Jan 13 – Monday), and Makar Sankranti/ Pongal (January 14 – Tuesday).
February has one optional holiday on the 21st, which is once again a Friday, for those who celebrate Maha Shivratri.
March 10 is Holi, which falls on a Tuesday. So again, if you can just take one day off from work, you could gift yourself a nice four-day trip. We’d suggest a stay at Varanasi for a wholesome experience of the festival of colours.
April turns out to be the most gifted month, vis-à-vis long weekends, up till this point of the year. Ram Navami falls on April 2 this year, which is a Thursday. Friday is working, but then again, just a day’s leave, and you’d have yourself a big five day holiday.
Mahavir Jayanti – an optional holiday – falls on April 6, which is a Monday, meaning you could easily plan a trip to Gir Forest, Ranthambore, or the Bandhavgarh Reserve.
The month of May starts with a holiday across the world with May 1 being celebrated as Labour Day, which falls on a Friday, followed by Buddha Purnima (optional) on May 7, a Thursday. So, a day’s leave here would earn you a good four-day trip to the foothills in places such as Dehradun, Auli, Raithal, etc.
Unfortunately, this year, Eid ul-Fitr, which is the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal and the end of Ramadan (month of fasting), falls on May 24, which is a Sunday.
However, it is not reason enough to dampen your spirit just yet, as Eid ul-Adha which will be celebrated on July 31 this year, falls on a Friday.
This long weekend flows over to the next month, with Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi Purnima falling on August 3, a Monday. You can just go home this time to spend the festivity with your loved ones. August 17 is the Parsee New Year or Navroz, which falls on a Monday, giving you the opportunity to take a break from work and dip your fingers in delectable Parsee platters, available in abundance in the western part of the country.
Another good time to spend with your family would be August 31, again a Monday, when you can celebrate Onam, or visit a Malayali friend to soak yourself in some traditional South Indian fanfare.
Gandhi Jayanti - October 2 - is on a Friday and while it may be a dry day, that doesn’t mean you cannot have fun. The weather is pleasant in the hill stations around this time, so you could always go to the multiple weekend getaways that the Western Ghats boast of.
Skip to November, Dhanteras falls on a Friday (November 13), followed by Diwali, which sadly wraps up in the weekends. However, who would mind being home around family this time of the year, especially, when Bhai Dooj will be celebrated on November 16, a Monday. It may not be a calendar holiday, but you can always seek a day off.
Luckily for all of us, Christmas falls on a Friday this year, giving us all a good excuse to have a copious amount of the heady mix with friends and family, without having to worry about reporting to work the next day.
And as if this year wasn’t done make us flash a toothy grin, January 1, 2021, will also fall on a Friday, meaning boundless revelry on New Year’s Eve.
Now that we have sorted you out with a list of all the holidays you can plan, start preparing the itinerary and save up to indulge in a heavy dose of wanderlust all year round.
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