Week-Long Diwali Holiday Like Christmas Break? Viral Post Sparks Work-Life Balance Debate In India

A social media post arguing India should have a week-long Diwali holiday, similar to the Christmas to New Year break abroad, has started a debate on work culture.

A post calling for a week-long Diwali break in India, on the lines of the Christmas to New Year holiday period observed in Europe and the United States, has set off a discussion about work culture and festival leave in the country.

The individual argued that one or two days of leave make it difficult for working professionals to travel to their hometowns and celebrate the festival with family.

In a post shared on X, the person said India should also build a culture of offering a week-long holiday on Diwali each year, so that people living thousands of kilometres from their hometowns could visit their families and mark the occasion with loved ones. The post noted that Europe and the US have a culture of holidays stretching from Christmas to New Year, and argued India should adopt something similar for Diwali.

The person then described the practical barriers. Staying 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres from home means a train journey of 30 to 40 hours each way, and a boss will not grant more than two days of leave. Flight tickets cost 20,000 to 30,000 rupees one way, which the salary cannot cover.

The post added that people are unable to celebrate festivals with their parents and family, yet there is talk of promoting Indian festivals globally. It questioned the country's work culture, saying that with the current approach all that can be promoted is work stress and sadness even during festivals, and linked this to India's position on the happiness index.

The post has drawn attention from thousands of users, who shared their views on work-life balance in India and largely agreed that working professionals should get longer holidays during festivals. Several compared the situation with other countries.

One person pointed out that this is not limited to Western countries. The user said they worked with an Egyptian client, and that employees there get a full week of holidays for Eid and Bakrid.