For many working professionals, Diwali is not just about lighting diyas, decorating homes or exchanging gifts. It is also about making the journey back home, sitting with parents, meeting relatives and celebrating a festival that brings families together. But what happens when home is 1,000 or 2,000 kilometres away and the office allows only a couple of days off?This is the question a software engineer has raised on social media, calling for Indian companies to introduce a week-long Diwali holiday, similar to the Christmas and New Year break enjoyed by some employees in the US and Europe. The suggestion has triggered a wider conversation about India’s corporate work culture, limited festival leaves and whether employees should have more freedom to spend important occasions with their families.
When celebrating Diwali becomes a travel challenge
In a post shared on X, the techie argued that India should develop a workplace culture where employees get an extended break around Diwali every year. Drawing a comparison with the Christmas and New Year period in Western countries, the individual pointed out that employees who move away from their hometowns often struggle to celebrate festivals with their families. The post highlighted the practical difficulties involved in travelling long distances for a short holiday.“Here you’re staying 1000-2000km away from hometown, train takes 30-40hrs one way and you can’t get leave for more than 2 days from your boss. Flight tickets are 20-30k one way, your salary can’t afford it anyway,” the techie wrote. For someone travelling several hours or even days to reach home, a two-day holiday can make the journey almost impossible. By the time they arrive, they may already have to start planning their return.The individual also questioned the gap between promoting Indian festivals globally and allowing employees enough time to celebrate them. “We can’t even celebrate festivals with our parents and family and then we talk about promoting our festivals globally,” the post read. The techie further argued that workplace pressure should not take away the happiness associated with important festivals, adding that such working conditions contribute to stress rather than a healthy work-life balance.
Internet brings up festival leave, corporate pressure and personal choices
The demand quickly drew responses from people who shared their experiences of working with international clients and companies. Some users pointed out that extended festival holidays are not limited to Western countries. One person who had worked with an Egyptian client said, “Not just Western countries. I worked with an Egyptian client, and they have holidays for Eid and Bakrid for the whole week.” Another user, who claimed to have worked with US and European clients for eight years, said colleagues abroad were often surprised to learn that Indian employees received only one day off for Diwali.The user wrote that international clients had even questioned why Indian employees received such limited holidays during one of their country’s biggest festivals. Others suggested that companies should introduce a more flexible holiday policy instead of following a fixed calendar for everyone. One suggestion was to give every employee a week-long holiday allowance that could be used according to their respective religious and cultural celebrations. However, not everyone agreed that a company-wide break was the only solution.One user advised employees to apply for leave well in advance, finish their assigned work and consider changing jobs if their employers consistently refused reasonable festival leave. The discussion, therefore, moved beyond Diwali itself to a larger question: should companies offer more flexibility so employees can celebrate the occasions that matter most to them?
Do employees in the US and Europe actually get a week off for Christmas?
The comparison with Western countries has also raised questions about how Christmas holidays work abroad. While some companies shut down operations between Christmas and New Year, a week-long break is not guaranteed to every employee. In the US, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are federal holidays. However, private companies are generally not legally required to provide paid leave on these occasions. Their holiday policies depend on individual employers.In several European countries, employees may have additional public holidays during the Christmas season. Some workplaces also close for a few days, allowing employees to combine public holidays, weekends and annual leave to enjoy a longer break. This means that the extended holiday period seen in some workplaces is often a result of company policies and available leave rather than a universal entitlement.
Is it time for Indian companies to rethink festival holidays?
The techie’s post has brought attention to an issue many employees experience but do not always openly discuss. For professionals living away from their hometowns, festivals involve more than attending celebrations. They mean reconnecting with parents, spending time with relatives and being part of family traditions that cannot always be recreated over video calls. A longer Diwali break could make these journeys easier, particularly for employees who cannot afford expensive last-minute flights or spend several days travelling by train.At the same time, companies have different operational requirements, and a common week-long shutdown may not work for every industry. Flexible festival leave, staggered holidays and the option to choose leave according to personal celebrations could offer an alternative. Ultimately, the online debate has raised a simple but important question: if employees spend most of the year working away from their families, should they have to struggle to find time to celebrate the festivals that bring them together?
