UPSC Personality Test will run till 19 December 2025. Very common but important GK questions are often asked in IAS interview, like - Why is Sunday a holiday? You have been hearing or seeing about this since childhood, but do you know the answer?

UPSC Personality Test 2025 is going on, which will run till 19 December 2025. During this, candidates are asked questions based on country, world, history, administration, society and personality. In such a situation, the interview board sometimes asks very common looking but concept clearing questions. Like- Why do we get holiday on Sunday? That is, do you know the real historical reason for the information you have been hearing since childhood or not? Read further to know.

Sunday holiday in India is not a religious tradition, but the result of a long struggle of the workers. During the British rule, workers were made to work continuously for 7 days a week and were not given any leave. Seeing this injustice, labor leader Narayan Meghaji Lokhande raised his voice and demanded one day leave in a week. The British government refused to accept this demand for almost 7 years, but after continuous struggle, Sunday was declared an official holiday for the first time on 10 June 1890. Lokhande ji laid the foundation of the Indian labor movement. He explained to the British government that making them work for 7 consecutive days without rest was inhumane. After his continuous efforts, the government was forced to give Sunday holiday. Due to this struggle, he is also called the father of the Indian labor movement.

The tradition of 'rest day' on Sunday already existed in the British administration. To give rest to the workers on the same day, a holiday was fixed on the last day of the week i.e. Sunday. Since then this tradition continues till today.

No. It was declared official on June 10, 1890, but it took time to be implemented in many industries and offices. Gradually it became prevalent throughout India and today Sunday is considered a weekly holiday in almost every sector.

Sunday holiday had a very positive impact on the health, family, social life and productivity of the workers. This was the first major victory of labor rights in India, which later paved the way for labor laws.