Celebrated every year on January 1st, New Year’s Day is a public holiday in most countries that follow the Gregorian Calendar. The festivities, though, begin a day before, on 31st December. It is a day for people to celebrate their achievements in the passing year, making peace with whatever went wrong and planning for the next twelve months. The new year brings with it hopes of a better future, allowing people to have a fresh start in life. This is why New Year’s Day has become so significant for people across the world.
New Year’s Day is an optional holiday in India, people may choose to take a holiday but it’s not mandatory.
New Year History and Significance
The concept of celebrating the New Year first became popular in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC, but then it was celebrated during the spring Equinox in March. In 153 BC, a Roman council fixed January 1st as the date. After the Council of Tours put an end to the celebrations on 1st January in AD 567, the New Year was observed on different dates throughout history, including December 25th, March 1st, March 25th and Easter. The Pagans of the Netherlands and Flanders started exchanging gifts on the occasion in the 7th century. January 1st was reinstated as New Year’s Day after the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
New Year Celebrations across India

New Year 2024
In every part of India, New Year is celebrated with much gaiety and fanfare. Here are some things that people do during the New Year’s celebrations:
- The major markets in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Jaipur are decorated with New Year decorations using multi-coloured lights and other props.
- Concerts and other special events are organised at luxury hotels, nightclubs, large urban parks and performance venues. Many of these feature performances by famous DJs, bands and celebrities.
- People celebrate the day by singing, playing games, dancing, and attending parties.
- People exchange New Year wishes with each other by saying Happy New Year 2024.
- A New Year countdown is a common feature at such events, helping build anticipation for the day’s arrival. People also take some New Year resolutions to follow throughout the year.
New Year’s Day in Other Calendars
The Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar in the world celebrates New Year’s Day on January 1st. There are other calendars as well which celebrate New Year’s Day on different days and some celebrate for several days. Some of the famous New Year’s Days are:
- Hindu New Year (Between March- April)
- Chinese New Year (Between January 21- February 20)
- Gujarati and Marwadi New Year (Between October- November; Diwali)
- Eastern Orthodox Church New Year (January 14)
- Islamic New Year (September 22)
- Iranian New Year (March 21)
- Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi New Year (April 13-14)
New Year 2024 Wishes
Here are some popular Happy New Year wishes:
- Health and happiness to you and yours in the new year ahead. Happy New Year 2024!
- Happy New Year 2024! Peace, love and happiness. New Year greetings to you and your family.
- Happy New Year 2024! Cheers to new beginnings.
- Happy New Year 2024! Have a joyful new year.
- Happy New Year 2024! Here’s to new adventures.
- New adventures are just around the corner. Happy New Year 2024!
Other Festivals in India with Holiday Type
Festivals in India | Day | Date | Holiday Type |
---|---|---|---|
New Year’s Day | Mon | 01-Jan | Restricted Holiday |
Lohri | Sat | 13-Jan | Restricted Holiday |
Makar Sankranti | Sun | 14-Jan | Restricted Holiday |
Pongal | Mon | 15-Jan | Restricted Holiday |
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti | Wed | 17-Jan | Restricted Holiday |
Republic Day | Fri | 26-Jan | Gazetted Holiday |
Losar | Sat | 10-Feb | Restricted Holiday |
Basant Panchmi | Wed | 14-Feb | Restricted Holiday |
Guru Ravidas Jayanti | Sat | 24-Feb | Gazetted Holiday |
Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti | Wed | 6-Mar | Restricted Holiday |
Mahashivratri | Fri | 8-Mar | Gazetted Holiday |
Holi | Mon | 25-March | Gazetted Holiday |
Good Friday | Fri | 29-Mar | Gazetted Holiday |
Easter Day | Sun | 31-Mar | Restricted Holiday |
Gudi Padwa | Tue | 9-Apr | Restricted Holiday |
Eid-ul-Fitr | Wed | 10-Apr | Gazetted Holiday |
Vaisakhi (Vishu) | Sat | 13-Apr | Restricted Holiday |
Rama Navami | Wed | 17-Apr | Gazetted Holiday |
Mahavir Jayanti | Sun | 21-Apr | Gazetted Holiday |
Rabindra Jayanti | Wed | 8-May | Restricted Holiday |
Buddha Purnima (Vesak) | Thu | 23-May | Gazetted Holiday |
Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) | Mon | 17-Jun | Restricted Holiday |
Rath Yatra | Sun | 7-Jul | Gazetted Holiday |
Muharram (Ashura) | Wed | 17-Jul | Gazetted Holiday |
Independence Day | Thu | 15-Aug | Gazetted Holiday |
Parsi New Year’s Day (Nauraz) | Thu | 15-Aug | Public Holiday |
Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) | Mon | 19-Aug | Restricted Holiday |
Janmashtami | Mon | 26-Aug | Restricted Holiday |
Ganesh Chaturthi | Sat | 7-Sep | Restricted Holiday |
Onam | Sun | 15-Sep | Restricted Holiday |
Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e- Milad | Mon | 16-Sep | Gazetted Holiday |
Gandhi Jayanti | Wed | 02-Oct | Gazetted Holiday |
Dussehra | Sat | 12-Oct | Gazetted Holiday |
Valmiki Jayanti | Thu | 17-Oct | Restricted Holiday |
Karva Chauth | Sun | 20-Oct | Gazetted Holiday |
Dhanteras | Tue | 29-Oct | Restricted Holiday |
Kali Puja | Thu | 31-Oct | Gazetted Holiday |
Halloween Day | Thu | 31-Oct | No Holiday |
Diwali | Fri | 1-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Lakshmi Puja | Fri | 1-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Karnataka Rajyotsava | Fri | 1-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Kerala Piravi | Fri | 1-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Govardhan Puja | Sat | 2-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Bhai Dooj | Sun | 3-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Chhath Puja | Thu | 7-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Guru Nanak Jayanti | Fri | 15-Nov | Gazetted Holiday |
Christmas | Wed | 25-Dec | Public Holiday |
FAQs
Q. Which day is celebrated on 1st January?
A. New Year’s Day is celebrated every year on January 1st.
Q. What day is New Year’s 2024?
A. According to the Gregorian calendar, New Year’s 2024 will be celebrated on Monday, 1st January 2024. New Year 2023 was celebrated on Sunday where people exchanged happy new year wishes.
Q. What are the places to celebrate New Year’s Day 2024 in India?
A. Some popular places to celebrate New Year’s Day in India are Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Puducherry, Manali, and Gokarna.
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