Patna: The Bihar government has notified its official holiday calendar for 2026, offering government employees 35 declared holidays across the year, along with 22 optional or restricted leaves. However, with six of the official holidays falling on Sundays, the effective number of working-day holidays is reduced to 29.
The holiday list, applicable across all state government departments, includes a mix of general holidays declared under executive orders, public holidays notified under the Negotiable Instruments Act (NI Act), and optional holidays that employees may choose based on personal or religious preference.
According to the notification, 11 holidays have been declared as general holidays under executive orders. Two of these fall on Sundays. In addition, 24 public holidays have been notified under the NI Act, 1881, of which four coincide with Sundays. May 1 presents a special case, as both May Day and Buddha Purnima fall on the same date, allowing only a single holiday.
Holi will be observed over two days on March 3 and 4, while March 1 falls on a Sunday. The annual summer vacation for government offices and educational institutions has been scheduled from June 1 to June 20.
General holidays under executive orders
The 11 general holidays in 2026 include Basant Panchami (January 23), Sant Ravidas Jayanti (February 1), Shab-e-Barat (February 4), Mahashivratri (February 15), Samrat Ashok Ashtami (March 26), Veer Kunwar Singh Jayanti (April 23), Janaki Navami (April 25), Kabir Jayanti (June 29), Chehlum (August 4), Durga Puja (Saptami) (October 17), and Chitragupta Puja/Bhai Dooj (November 10).
Public holidays under the NI Act
The 24 public holidays include Republic Day (January 26), Holi (March 3 and 4), Eid ul Fitr (March 21), Bihar Diwas (March 22), Ram Navami (March 27), Mahavir Jayanti (March 31), Good Friday (April 3), Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14), May Day and Buddha Purnima (May 1), Eid ul Zuha (May 28), Muharram (June 26), Independence Day (August 15), Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (August 26), Krishna Janmashtami (September 4), Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), Durga Puja (October 18–20), Diwali (November 8), Chhath Puja (November 15–16), and Christmas (December 25).
Optional and restricted holidays
The state has also notified 22 optional or restricted holidays, including New Year’s Day (January 1), Makar Sankranti (January 14), Karpoori Thakur Jayanti (January 24), Holika Dahan (March 2), the last Friday of Ramzan (March 13), Eid-ul-Fitr (March 22), Eid-ul-Zuha (May 29), Anugrah Narayan Singh Jayanti (June 18), Raksha Bandhan (August 28), Vishwakarma Puja (September 17), Jivitputrika Vrat (October 4), Jayaprakash Narayan Jayanti (October 11), Chhath Puja Kharna (November 14), Dr Rajendra Prasad Jayanti (December 3), and Christmas Eve (December 24), among others.
While the calendar offers multiple festive breaks, the clustering of holidays on weekends has drawn quiet disappointment among employees. Still, longer stretches such as Holi, Durga Puja, Chhath, and the summer vacation are expected to provide some respite in the year ahead.
