Chhath Puja 2024: Are Banks Closed? See State-Wise Holiday Calendar!

Along with Chhath Puja 2024 knocking on the doors, a number of banks in many of India's states will remain closed on November 7 and 8. According to RBI, it has declared certain holidays for states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi, and West Bengal. Such holidays can alter banking schedules; hence, customers have to design their respective transaction plans if they reside in those areas.

Chhath Puja Bank Holidays: Dates and State-Wise Closures

Chhath Puja is a very sacred festival in Bihar and Jharkhand states. It is a great time for pure worship and rituals towards the Sun God. Here is the list of holidays:

Thursday, November 7. Banks in Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal will remain closed for the "Evening Arghya" ritual of Chhath Puja.

8 November (Friday): Banks in Bihar, Jharkhand and Meghalaya would remain closed for the "Morning Arghya" of Chhath Puja and for the Wangala Festival in Meghalaya.

Along with this Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has declared 7th November as a public holiday to celebrate Chhath Puja. Hence, banks in Delhi also will remain shut on 7 November as well.

Holiday Stretch by One Day Due to Weekend End

In this regard, the standard weekend closure will be applicable from the time of bank holidays during Chhath Puja, which in turn means:

11th November (Second Saturday): All Indian banks will remain closed.

12th November (Sunday): All Indian banks will be closed throughout the country due to the routine Sunday closure.

Collectively, it forms a four-day period wherein banking operations will be restrained in some states.

Reason behind Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is a major festival mainly practiced in Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Uttar Pradesh as well as regions having a large Bihari community. The four-day festival hosts a series of fasting rituals and offerings (known as Arghya) to the Sun God, while the prayers are conducted at rivers and water bodies to consecrate purity and gratitude. Hence, most local businesses and services have limited schedules on this holiday.

Upcoming Bank Holidays in November 2024

Apart from Chhath Puja, the remaining weeks of November also come with a number of regional holidays that are sure to shake up the banking scenes:

Egas-Bagwal on November 12th - Only in Uttarakhand
Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 15th - Several states
Kanakadasa Jayanti on November 18th - Karnataka
Seng Kutsnem on November 23rd - Fourth Saturday closure in Meghalaya

Banking Services during Holidays

The in-person banking services will be closed during the holidays, whereas digital banking services, like UPI, mobile apps, and ATMs, will be open during the holiday time. Customers should make use of all those platforms for critical transactions during the holidays.

For the complete list of RBI bank holidays observed during November 2024 visit the RBI's official website where they have published data related to shut down of the branches across the states during the month of November 2024.

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