Eid Ul Fitr 2026, Holi and Ram Navami: March Holiday Schedules Affect Students, Employees and Bank Services
Eid Ul Fitr 2026 appears on March calendars with moon-sighting uncertainty, and the broader March holiday line-up will affect students, government employees and bank customers across India. Published schedules show differing holiday counts for households and banks, and key operational guidance for branch services and digital transactions.
Eid Ul Fitr 2026: dates, moon sighting and nearby festival closures
The Eid Ul Fitr 2026 date is listed as March 20 or March 21 in published schedules, with the final date subject to the sighting of the crescent moon. One bulletin specifically flagged March 20 as the possible Ramzan holiday pending crescent sighting; another schedule lists Eid-ul-Fitr on both March 20 and March 21. Ram Navami (Sri Rama Navami) is listed as a government holiday on March 26 in the schedules.
Student and employee calendar: 10 holidays in March 2026
One published education bulletin highlights that students and government employees will benefit from a total of 10 holidays in March. That bulletin notes the month contains five Sundays and lists specific festival and optional holidays: Holi (listed there on March 4), the second Saturday (a holiday on March 14), Ugadi on March 19, a potential Ramzan holiday on March 20 depending on moon sighting, Sri Rama Navami on March 26, and an optional Mahavir Jayanti on March 31.
RBI bank schedule: 11 bank holidays and how weekends change the count
The central bank released a comprehensive schedule that cites 11 official bank holidays for March 2026. Those bank entries include Holi (dates appearing as March 3 and March 4 across different listings), Eid-ul-Fitr (March 20 and March 21 in some schedules), and Ram Navami on March 26. When second and fourth Saturdays and all Sundays are included, published information indicates the total number of bank holiday days in March rises to 18.
Weekend and fixed-date closures: Sundays and Saturdays
Schedules identify five Sundays in March and list the Sunday dates as March 1, March 8, March 15, March 22 and March 29. Published material also names the second and fourth Saturdays as March 14 and March 28; the second Saturday (March 14) is called out as a holiday by one bulletin.
Regional festival closures and state impacts
Regional observations are included in the bank calendar. Gudhi Padwa (Gudi Padwar) and Ugadi on March 19 are cited as reasons for closures in states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Holi appears in the schedules with some variance: one schedule lists Holi on March 3, another lists Holi on March 3 and March 4, and a separate bulletin lists Holi specifically on March 4.
Bank operations on March 31, digital services and customer guidance
Published guidance addresses the final day of the financial year. Although March 31 is observed as Mahavir Jayanti in many regions, the central-bank directive instructs all Agency Banks to remain open to help close government accounts for the 2025–26 fiscal year. On March 31, general banking services may be restricted in some areas, but branches handling government receipts, payments and tax collections are listed to maintain regular operations. Agency Banks are explicitly slated to stay open on March 31 to facilitate financial year-end tasks.
For days when physical branches are closed, schedules stress that digital banking infrastructure will remain active: UPI, IMPS and ATMs are listed as fully functional, while mobile banking apps, net banking and NEFT will continue to process transactions. Customers are advised to plan branch visits early to avoid delays in cheque clearances and document submissions. Physical services such as locker access, demand draft issuance and manual passbook updates are noted to resume only on the next working day.
One bulletin that detailed the student and employee holiday count also invited readers to follow updates on YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Where the published schedules differ — for example on whether Holi falls on March 3 or March 4, or whether Eid-ul-Fitr is observed on March 20 or March 21 — the final decisions reflect moon sighting outcomes and official announcements. Readers and customers should monitor official banking notices and local holiday declarations for confirmation of dates and branch availability.
