1 November 2024
Haryana Regional holiday | Friday |
Haryana Day is a cultural festival celebrated in the state of Haryana on 1st November every year. It is one of the many festivals that keep the state of Haryana in a festive spirit almost all the time. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the day when the state of Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966. During the Haryana Day, there are cycle rallies as well as a rally cum race that is held from Chandigarh to Panchkula town. All people and cycle riders participate with great excitement and there are cheer and rejoicing on the streets all over the state.
The day of the Haryana Day festival also marks the Pakwan Pratiyogita, the food festival that is held at all the tourist complexes. There are also blood donation camps and other Run for Fun events on this day. To add more vigour to the Haryana Day festival in Haryana, there are musical performances in the evenings that are held almost in all cities of Haryana.
All the state complexes and buildings are brightly lit up and decorated and are a beautiful sight on this day. There are also various kinds of contests held to add some joy to the Haryana Day. People participate actively and enthusiastically in the contests, races and other methods of fun and joy.
In April 1966, the Indian government set up the Shah Commission to review the existing state of Punjab and determine the boundaries of a new state of Haryana by taking in consideration the languages spoken by the local people. The commission announced its recommendations at the end of May 1966 and Haryana state was created on November 1st 1966. The major change from the commissions report was that instead of splitting Chandigarh into two parts, the state capital of Punjab, it instead became a union territory serving as the capital of Punjab and Haryana. The name Haryana literally means the land of God.