Who doesn’t love a respite in the middle of a hectic work week? All of us do! In fact for most of us we mark all public holidays for the year ahead before the year even begins. Always be prepared right?
Kashmir Day
Kashmir Day is celebrated on the 5th of February in order to display solidarity with the people of Kashmir who are suffering at the hands of a cruel military regime.
It is also known as “Youm-e-Yakhjehti-e-Kashmir”. The issue of Kashmir has long remained a sensitive topic for every Pakistani who acutely feels the pain of their brothers and sisters over in the beautiful valleys living a tortured life. Thus, in order to highlight the importance of this issue and to prompt thought on how to solve the matter, Kashmir Day was announced by Qazi Hussain Ahmad in 1990.
Holi
Holi is celebrated in March after the full moon. For 2019, the day falls roughly on the 21st of March.
This beautiful festival of colors is a Hindu festival which is also happily celebrated all over Pakistan where not only Hindus, but also their fellow friends of every religion join them in the robust celebrations.
Perhaps the signature of Holi has become the “rung” parties where bright colors in powder form are thrown upon one another. The whole atmosphere becomes cheery and none can resist joining in the fun!
Pakistan Day
Pakistan Day, also known as “Yaum-e-Pakistan” is celebrated on the 23rd of March to commemorate the Lahore Resolution of 1940.
This holds special significance as this very resolution then led to the formulation of our beloved country.
In order to remember this fateful resolution, the Minar-e-Pakistan was also constructed in Lahore on the very site where Muslim League passed the resolution.
Shab-e-Mairaj
This particular holiday is one of strong religious significance. Muslims believed that this was the day when the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) was called to the heavens by Allah. This was the night when the beautiful gift of Salah was bestowed upon us whereby we Muslims gained the means to converse directly with our magnificent Creator. It is observed on the 27th day of Rajab, which is the seventh month in the Islamic calendar.
Death Anniversary of Z.A.Bhutto
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was amongst one of the truly strong leaders of Pakistan. He had both the brains and the will power to withstand any foreign meddling into the affairs of the nation and to steer the nation towards development and prosperity.
His downfall too was catastrophic, with chaos reining the whole country.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s fate was sealed when the Supreme Court in a series of suspicious and highly conspiratorial hearings tried and found him guilty of authorizing the murder of a political opponent by the name of Ahmad Raza Kasuri.
He was then hanged to death on the 4th of April 1979.
Labour Day
Labor Day is celebrated across the world on 1st of May. Different countries celebrate the day in different ways with a variety of traditions. By and large, it signifies the historic day of 1st May 1886 when unions demanded that the work day be restricted to a humane eight hours.
Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated after the Holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims observe fasts for the whole month. Understandably, after an entire month of fasting there is much to celebrate and happy faces can be seen all around!
One of the most celebrated customs of the day is gift giving, commonly referred to as Eidi, which basically entails elders of the family distributing money among the younger ones to signify a happy gesture.
Eid-ul-Azha
Among the Western world, Eid-ul-Azha has been a source of considerable debate especially by animal rights activists. However, for the Muslims, this day is an essential part of our religion and the sacrifice of animals during the day is symbolic of the sacrifice rendered by one of our Prophets.
For 2019, the days are roughly estimated to be June 5thonwards.
Independence Day
Pakistan’s independence day falls on the 14th of August. It is a day of great celebration with patriotism running at an all-time high.
The day is marked by military parades, air shows, concerts, patriotic songs and flags all around.
Children prepare for the day with green and white clothes, flags, lights and many other small adornments all showing their love for their homeland.
Ashoora
The Ashoora is the 9th and 10th of the month of Muharram. Ashoora is mostly observed by Shia Muslims by lamentations of a religious nature in honor of the slain Iman Hassan and Hussain.
Tales of the tragic day of Karbala are told in congregations in mosques around the country and followers of the Shia sect wear black as a display of their internal pain and sorrow.
For 2019, the 9th and 10th of Muharram is estimated to fall on the 10th of September onwards.
Urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
The Urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is a public holiday for the province of Sindh, falling on October 13th. He is a well-known Sindhi Sufi scholar with a considerable following.
His poetry dealing vastly with the Unity of God, religious tolerance and humanistic values is quite famous and perhaps the major reason for his fame.
Eid Milad-un-Nabi
Eid Milad-un-Nabi is celebrated as being the birthday of our beloved and revered Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.). Muslims distribute sweets, participate generously in charitable activities and observe fasts in honor of the Best of Allah’s Creation.
Birthday of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Quaid’s birthday is celebrated on the 25th of December with a public holiday. Schools around the country celebrate with speeches and debates to better remember the values of our leader. There are also official tributes for the great man who fought with all he had to give us a separate homeland.
Christmas
Christmas too falls on the 25th of December. The day is a public holiday in acknowledgement of our fellow country-men who follow this particular religion.
