Leave, PTO, Days Off, Holidays, Vacations in 2021

Posted On: August 6, 2020

India & US Vacations in 2021

Need for this Calendar
This calendar will be useful for Indians and Americans working on distributed, global teams with multiple offices in India or in the US.

As India is a diverse country which celebrates different holidays in different parts of the country, this calendar mainly focuses on:

India-wide Government Holidays
Kerala Holidays
Select South Indian (Tamil, Andhra, Karnataka) Holidays
Always ask your India-based team which holidays they support. Holidays are not standard across the board. Some may be floating holidays. Your company’s HR would be the best resource for this.

When you click on the holidays which are linked, you will learn more about that holiday or learn about some small talk topics related to that holiday.

US & India Vacations in 2021

When is ….. January 2021?
1 – New Year’s Day (Learn how to wish Happy New Year in 40 languages!)
14 – Pongal (Tamil Harvest Festival)
14 – Sabarimala Makaravilakku (Kerala)
18 – Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday
20 – Guru Gobindsingh’s Birthday (Sikh)
26 – Republic Day
27 – Tu B’Shvat, The New Year for Trees Festival
28 – Thaipusam

When is ….. February 2021?
2 – Groundhog’s Day
First Sunday (7th) – Superbowl (American Football Championship)
14 – Valentine’s Day
15 – Singles Awareness Day (observation)
16 – Vasant Panchami
15 – President’s Day
19 – Shivaji Jayanti (Maharasthra)
27 – Attukal Pongala (Kerala)
27 – Guru Ravidas’s Birthday (Sikh)When is ….. March 2021?
All Month – March Madness
8 – Swami Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti
11 – Mahashivarathri
14 – Daylight Savings Time Begins
17 – St. Patrick’s Day Observation
25 – Purim
28 – Palm Sunday
28 – Holi

When is ….. April 2021?
1 – April Fool’s Day
2 – Good Friday
4 – Easter
8 – Buddha Purnima
8-9 – Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)
12 – Ramadan Starts
14 – Baishakhi
14 – Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti
14 – Tamil New Year
15 – Vishu (Kerala)
15 – Tax Day USA
21 – Ramanavami
22 – Earth Day
April End – School Ends India

When is ….. May 2021?
1 – May Day
1 – Labor Day (India)
5 – Cinco De Mayo
8 – Laylat al-Baraat/Laylat al-Qadr
9 – Mother’s Day
11 – Ramadan Ends
14 – Akshaya Tritiya
31 – Memorial Day
May mid to June end- school ends USA

When is ….. June 2021?
Throughout June – Graduation Season USA

June beginning – School Starts India

14 – Flag Day
19 – Juneteenth
20 – Father’s Day (What is dads and grads season?)

When is ….. July 2021?

4 – Independence Day (USA)

17-18 – Tisha B’Av
19 – Eid al-Fitr
24 – Pioneer Day (Utah)
July mid- September – “Back to School Season” School starts USA

When is ….. August 2021?
15 – Independence Day (India)
19 – Islamic New Year / Muharram / Ashura

21 – Onam
22- Rakhi
29 – Krishna Jayanthi

When is ….. September 2021?
6 – Labor Day (USA)
6-8 – Rosh Hashanah
10 – Ganesh Chathurthi
11 – Patriot Day (USA)
15-16 – Yom Kippur
20-27 – SukkotWhen is ….. October 2021?
2 – Gandhi Jayanthi
6-14 – Navarathri
11 – Columbus Day / Indigenous People’s Day
14 – Vijaya Dashami, Vidhyarmbam (end of Navarathri)
31 – Halloween

When is ….. November 2021?
1 – Kerala Statehood Day / Karnataka Day / Tamil Nadu Day
1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday, US Election Day
4 – Diwali / Deepawali
7 – Daylight Savings Time Ends
11 – Veterans Day
18-19 – Nabhidinam
19 – Guru Nanak’s Birthday
19 – Kathigai Deepam
20 – Children’s Day
25 – Thanksgiving (USA)
26 – Black Friday
28 – Hanukkah (Chanukah) starts

When is ….. December 2021?
6 – Hanukkah (Chanukah) ends
24 – Christmas Eve
25 – Christmas Day
26 – Jan 1 – Kwanzaa
29 – New Year’s Eve

Note: Double check with your onsite or offshore colleagues as to which holidays are actual days off of work. Not all holidays have days off.

Thank you for spending your time on the Authentic Journeys blog.

Check calendars from years past:

2013 – 2014 – 2015 – 2016 – 2017 – 2018 – 2019 (USA — India) – 2020 – 2021 – 2022 – 2023

Work on a global team between the US and India? Check out our program on presenting on a virtual team.