Wasn’t it just a little while ago when 2017 had just begun! It is about to end in just a few more days! No matter how hard we attempt to delay the passage of time, it always flies away in a jiffy. Anyway, we get many reasons to celebrate life every year. Even if you did not get time to celebrate the long weekends of 2017, you still have sixteen extended weekends in 2018. Do not waste them this time, and make sure you create your itineraries in advance. Have your bags packed for every weekend, and have a blast round the year.
January
January 22, Monday: Basant Panchami
The year begins on a happy note as you have a long weekend in the first month itself. Just fly off to Gujrat on Friday to celebrate the Rann of Kachh Festival, which begins in November 2017 and closes in February 2018. If you live in North India, you can also visit the Nagaur village in Rajasthan for the Nagaur Festival. You can see at least 70,000 animals in this festival that are brought here from all parts of India. Apart from camel races, you can enjoy Tug of War and folk dances.
January 26, Friday: Republic Day
If you want a really long holiday, you can combine the Basant Panchmi weekend with that of Republic Day, and fly off abroad. Otherwise, you can enjoy two weekends at different places in India. Go the Jaipur Literature Festival on January 26 and take a plunge in the world of books.
February
February 13, Tuesday: Mahashivratri
Apply for a leave on Monday in advance so that you can have four days to celebrate in February. You can visit the hot regions in Rajasthan and enjoy the Shekhawati Festival during this modestly cold time.
March
March 2, Friday: Holi
If you have celebrated Holi in your hometown several times, take your family to Mathura or Vrindavan this time to have a unique celebration of this festival of colors since you have Friday at hand along with your regular weekend. You will also get time to relax after Holi.
March 30, Friday: Good Friday
After you are done celebrating Holi, you will get another opportunity to relax in the lap of nature at the end of March. Just add one more leave to this weekend, and you can set off to McLeodganj for 3-4 days.
April
April 30, Monday: Buddha Purnima
You will find many people commemorating Buddha Purnima in India, but you can get the best spectacles of this festival in Buddhist majority regions. Plan your vacation for places like Bir where several monasteries are located in a close vicinity where you can admire the magnificence of Buddha Purnima.
May
May 1, Tuesday: Labor Day
Providing a holiday for Labor Day is not very common in India, but you never know, you might get lucky! Add a leave on Monday to this weekend and plan for a long trip to the hills or beaches.
June
June 15, Friday: Idul’ Fitr
In the northern part of India, the months of June and July become unbearable because of the hot weather. Just book your tickets for Dalhousie or Coorg, whichever place you find near your city, and have a splendid weekend.
July
Bad news folks! You will not get any extended weekends in July. Nonetheless, do not worry! Put your brain and heart in your work this month, and gear up for two more opportunities to celebrate in August.
August
August 15, Wednesday: Independence Day
When you are in Delhi, you do not need to go anywhere else to celebrate Independence Day. From other corners of the country, you can set off to Dubai or Singapore. However, you need to add two days before or after Wednesday to make it a great long weekend.
August 22, Wednesday: Idul’ Zuha
Sorry to say ladies and gentlemen, this holiday also falls on Wednesday, so you need to take a couple of leaves to make it a long weekend. However, if you can manage to take the entire week off, you can plan to go to Leh-Ladakh, a well-suited destination for August.
September
September 3, Monday: Janmashtami
Some of the Indian states celebrate Janmashtami with grandeur. You cannot resist taking photographs of the festivities if you visit Mathura, Varanasi, or Delhi.
September 13, Thursday: Ganesh Chaturthi
The monsoon regions like Shillong or Kerala await tourists during the months of August and September. Just add one more leave to this weekend and enjoy at these beautiful places for 2-3 days.
October
October 2, Tuesday: Gandhi Jayanti
October is a great month to visit various places in India. Kerala, Himachal, and Gujrat are some of the states where you can visit naturally gorgeous places. However, do not forget to ask your boss for a day off on Monday.
October 19, Friday: Dushera
Surely you have a long weekend during Dushera, but you might get even luckier if you get a holiday for Ram Navami on Thursday. You can also travel abroad with four days in hand.
November
November 7, Wednesday: Diwali
If you are fond of Diwali and festivities around it, you will love the month of November. With Dhanteras falling on Monday, the festive week concludes with Bhai Dooj on Friday. Think about North East India this time, what say?
December
December 25, Tuesday: Christmas Day
Destinations such as Goa become overcrowded during the month of December because of New Year celebrations and Christmas. You can rather celebrate this weekend with a time-off on Monday and go to Udaipur, Jaisalmer, or Jaipur. Just make sure that you do at least something during these sixteen opportunities in 2018; you will always cherish this time.