Id-ul-Zuha (Bakr-Id), which is also known as Eid al-Adha or Id-ul-Adha, is a festival that Muslims celebrate with special prayers, greetings and gifts. It is a gazetted holiday in India and is also referred to as the festival of sacrifice.
Is Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha a Public Holiday?
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.
In 2022, it falls on a Sunday, and some businesses may choose to follow Sunday opening hours.
Prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi, India on Eid al-Adha.
Id-ul-Zuha is a festival that is celebrated with traditional fervor and gaiety in India and the world. Many Muslims wear new clothes and attend an open-air prayer meeting during Id-ul-Zuha. They may sacrifice a sheep or goat and share the meat with family members, neighbors and the poor. Many Muslims feel that they have a duty to ensure that all Muslims can enjoy a meat based meal during this holiday.
Public Life
National, state and local government offices, post offices and banks are closed on Eid al-Adha. Islamic stores, businesses and other organizations may be closed or have reduced opening hours. Those wishing to use public transport on the day may need to contact the local transport authorities to check on timetables.
Large scale prayer meetings may cause local disruption to traffic. This is particularly true of areas of India with a predominantly Muslim population.
Background
Muslims around the world believe that Allah (God) commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. Ibrahim followed God's orders, but his son was replaced by a sheep at the last moment. Muslims celebrate this at Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat or "bakri" in Urdu. The word "id" derived from the Arabic "iwd" means "festival" and "zuha" comes from "uzhaiyya" which translates to "sacrifice".
Note: During a gazetted holiday, government offices and most businesses are closed so people have a day off work.
Year
Weekday
Date
Name
Holiday Type
2017
Sat
Sep 2
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha
Gazetted Holiday
2018
Wed
Aug 22
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha
Gazetted Holiday
2019
Mon
Aug 12
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha
Gazetted Holiday
2020
Sat
Aug 1
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha
Gazetted Holiday
2021
Wed
Jul 21
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha
Gazetted Holiday
2022
Sun
Jul 10
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha (Tentative Date)
Gazetted Holiday
2023
Thu
Jun 29
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha (Tentative Date)
Gazetted Holiday
2024
Mon
Jun 17
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha (Tentative Date)
Gazetted Holiday
2025
Sat
Jun 7
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha (Tentative Date)
Gazetted Holiday
2026
Wed
May 27
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha (Tentative Date)
Gazetted Holiday
2027
Mon
May 17
Bakr Id/Eid ul-Adha (Tentative Date)
Gazetted Holiday
While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.