Lists of holidays

For a list of holidays by country, see List of holidays by country. For a list of multinational holidays by date, see List of multinational festivals and holidays.

Main article: Holiday

This is a list of lists of holidays and observances by various categorization.

Consecutive holidays

• Beginning in 2000, Spring Festival, and National Day are week-long holidays in the mainland territory of the People's Republic of China, known as Golden Weeks. International Labor Day was a similar holiday from 2000 until 2007.
• In Colombia, in the holy week there are consecutive holidays Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Holy Friday) with variable dates in March or April.
• In The Netherlands, Remembrance of the Dead is celebrated on 4 May from 19:00 and Liberation Day on the 5th. This way Remembrance of the Dead and Liberation Day constitute one remembrance: for both Victims and Liberation.
• In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day can occasionally occur in Holy Week, the week before Easter; in this case the three holidays (St. Patrick's Day, Good Friday, and Easter Monday) plus three days leave can result in a 10-day break. See Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland.
• In Poland during holidays on 1 May and 3 May, when taking a few days of leave can result in 9-day-long holidays; this is called The Picnic (or Majówka).
• In Japan, golden-week lasts roughly a full week. Then, in 2007, the law was amended so that if any 2 public holidays occur both on a weekday and are separated by a day, then that intermediate day shall also be a public holiday, thus creating a 3-day long public holiday.
• In Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Canada, Ireland, Poland, Russia and the UK, a public holiday otherwise falling on a Sunday will result in observance of the public holiday on the next available weekday (generally Monday). This arrangement results in a long weekend
• The U.S. Congress changed the observance of Memorial Day and Washington's Birthday from fixed dates to certain Mondays in 1968 (effective 1971). Several states had passed similar laws earlier.

Religious holidays

Further information: Category:Holy days

Paganism

• Carnival

Bahá'í holidays

Main article: Bahá'í calendar

• Naw Ruz (Bahá'í New Year)
• 1st Day of Ridván
• 9th Day of Ridvan
• 12th Day of Ridvan
• Declaration of the Báb
• Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
• Martyrdom of the Báb
• Birth of the Báb
• Birth of Bahá'u'lláh

Sikh holidays

• Vaisakhi
• Lohri
• Diwali

Buddhist holidays

• Vesak
• Magha Puja
• Pchum Ben (Cambodian)
• Asalha Puja
• Buddha's Birthday
• Bon Festival (Japanese festival)
• Blessed Rainy Day (Bhutanese)
• Poya

Celtic, Norse, and Neopagan holidays

In the order of the Wheel of the Year:

• Samhain (Celtic): 31 October – 1 November, Celtic New Year, first day of winter
• Winter Nights (Norse): 29 October – 2 November, Norse New Year
• Yule (Norse): 21–22 December, winter solstice, Celtic mid-winter
• Imbolc (Celtic): 1–2 February, Celtic first day of spring
• Ostara/Easter (Norse): 21–22 March, vernal equinox, Celtic mid-spring
• Beltane (Celtic): 30 April – 1 May, Celtic first day of summer
• Litha (Norse): 21–22 June, summer solstice, Celtic mid-summer
• Lughnasadh (Celtic): 1–2 August, Celtic first day of autumn
• Mabon/Harvest End (Norse): 21–22 September, autumnal equinox, Celtic mid-fall

See also: Swedish festivities

Chinese Religion holidays

• Chinese New Year
• Mid-Autumn Festival

Christian holidays

See also: liturgical year

• Advent
• All Saints' Day
• All Souls' Day
• Annunciation
• Ascension Thursday (Ascension of Jesus into Heaven)
• Ash Wednesday (beginning of Lent)
• Assumption of Mary (Assumption of the Virgin Mary)
• Candlemas
• Childermas
• Christmas (Birth of Jesus)
• Corpus Christi (Sacrifice of Jesus)
• Divine Mercy Sunday
• Easter (Resurrection of Jesus, end of Lent)
• Easter Triduum
  • Holy Thursday (Celebration of The Last Supper)
  • Good Friday (Death of Jesus)
  • Holy Saturday
  • Easter Vigil
• Easter Monday (Monday following Easter Sunday, not part of the Easter Triduum)
• Epiphany
• Feast of the Sacred Heart
• Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• Saint Valentine's Day
• Lent (40 days of penance before Easter)
• Pentecost or Whitsun (Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus)
• Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (last day of Carnival, last day before Ash Wednesday)
• Winter Lent
• Watch Night

The Catholic patronal feast day or 'name day' are celebrated in each place's patron saint's day, according to the Calendar of saints.

Hindu holidays

• Akshaya Tritiya
• Baisakhi
• Raksha Bandhan
• Mysore Dasara
• Diwali
  • Diwali (Laxmi Puja)
  • Diwali (Govardhan Puja)
  • Bhaubeej
• Durga Puja
• Ekadasi
• Ganesh Chaturthi
• Gokul Ashtami
• Gudhi Padwa
• Guru Purnima
• Holi
• Karthikai deepam
• Krishna Janmaashtami
• Mahashivratri
• Mahalakshmi vrata
• Nyepi
• Bhogi
• Makara Sankranti
• Kanumu
• Navratri
• Onam
• Pongal
• Rama-Lilas
• Ram Navami
• Thaipusam
• Vaikunta Ekadasi
• Vijayadashami
• Ugadi

Jewish holidays

Main article: Jewish holiday

• Hanukkah (also: Chanukah, the Festival of Lights)
• Passover (Deliverance of Jews from slavery in Egypt)
• Purim (Deliverance of Jews in Persia from Haman)
• Rosh Hashanah (New Year)
• Shavuot (Festival of Weeks; Harvest Festival)
• Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles)
• Tisha B'Av (Day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples)
• Tu Bishvat (New year of the trees)
• Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
• Simchat Torah (Completion of the Sefer Torah)
• Shemini Atzeret (The beginning of the rainy season in Israel, sometimes confused as being the 8th day of Sukkot)
• Shabbat (The day of rest, the seventh day of the week, and the holiest day of the week Saturday)

Muslim holidays

• Islamic New Year – on first day of Muharram every year
• Ashurah – tenth day of Muharram. Muharram is the first month of the lunar year.
• Chaand Raat – Eve of Eid ul-Fitr
• Eid (feast): date determined by the lunar calendar and observation of the moon:
  • Eid ul-Fitr – on the first day of Shawal. It marks the end of Ramadan, the fasting month. Part of honoring this occasion is "zakaat ul-fitr" (giving alms to the needy on the day of Eid ul-Fitr).
  • Eid ul-Adha – on the tenth day of Dhulhijjah, the twelfth and final month of the lunar year.
• Eid ul-Milad an Nabi – Celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birth
• Nisfu Shaaban
• Nuzul Al Qur'an – First revelation of Quran
• Holy Month of Ramadan / Fasting – First day of Ramadan
• Laylat al-Qadr
• Jumu'atul-Wida – on last Friday before celebration Eid ul-Fitr
• Isra and Miraj – Prophet Muhammad's ascension to heaven.
• Arafat – Eve of Eid ul-Adha

Western winter holidays in the Northern Hemisphere

Main article: Christmas and holiday season

See also: List of winter festivals and Chinese New Year

The following holidays are observed to some extent at the same time during the Southern hemisphere's summer, with the exception of Winter Solstice.

• Thanksgiving – (fourth Thursday in November in United States) — Holiday generally observed as an expression of gratitude, traditionally to God, for the autumn harvest. It is traditionally celebrated with a meal shared among friends and family in which turkey is eaten. It is celebrated by many as a secular holiday, and in the USA marks the beginning of the "holiday season". In Canada, since the climate is colder, the harvest season begins (and ends) earlier and thus, Thanksgiving takes place on the second Monday in October.
• Winter Solstice, Yule – (Winter solstice, around 21–22 December in the northern hemisphere and 21–22 June in the southern hemisphere) — The celebrations on the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day of the year, are traditionally marked with anything that symbolizes or encourages life. Decorations of evergreens, bright objects and lights; singing songs, giving gifts, feasting and romantic events are often included. For Neopagans this is the celebration of the death and rebirth of the sun and is one of the eight sabbats on the wheel of the year.
• Hanukkah – (26 Kislev – 2/3 Tevet – almost always in December) — Jewish holiday celebrating the defeat of Seleucid forces who had tried to prevent Israel from practicing Judaism, and also celebrating the miracle of the Menorah lights burning for eight days with only enough olive oil for one day.
• Christmas Eve – (24 December) — Day before Christmas. Observances usually include big feasts at night to celebrate the day to come. It is the supposed night that Santa Claus delivers presents to all the good children of the world.
• Christmas Day – (25 December) — Christian holiday commemorating the traditional birth-date of Jesus. Observances include gift-giving, the decoration of trees and houses, and Santa Claus folktales.
• Kwanzaa (USA) – (26 December – 1 January) — A modern American invention held from 26 December to 1 January honoring African-American heritage, primarily in the United States. It was invented in 1966 by black activist and marxist Ron Karenga.
• St Stephen's Day or Second Day of Christmas (26 December) — Holiday observed in many European countries.
• Boxing Day (26 December or 27 December) — Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on the first non-Sunday after Christmas.
• New Year's Eve – (31 December) — Night before New Year's Day. Usually observed with celebrations and festivities in anticipation of the new year.
• New Year's Day – (1 January) — Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

National holidays by country

• Korea national alphabet day October 9

Secular holidays

See also: International observance

Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, around the world, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given.

• Halloween (31 October, especially in the the UK and former British colonies, including the US, Canada, and Australia). Formerly All Hallows' Eve, it is a highly secularized outgrowth of Christian All Saints Day and pagan Celtic Samhain (both on 1 November).
• International Women's Day (8 March, particularly in former Soviet bloc countries and mainland China)
• International Men's Day (19 November in Canada, Australia, India, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, Singapore, South Africa and Malta)
• Labour Day, Worker's Day or May Day (1 May in most countries. The United States and Canada both celebrate on the first Monday in September)
• Mother's Day (date varies widely, e.g. second Sunday in May in parts of North America, 10 May in Mexico; in the UK it is on the fourth Sunday in Lent and has an Anglican origin)
• Father's Day
• International Day of Peace (21 September, decided by the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations)

Regional

Other secular holidays not observed internationally:

• Lee-Jackson-King Day (20 January) Combined holiday celebrated in the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1984 to 2000
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (third Monday in January in the United States)
• Groundhog Day (2 February in United States and Canada)
• Darwin Day (12 February). Commemorates the anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin to highlight Darwin's contribution to science and to promote science in general.
• Presidents Day (Third Monday in February in United States; US federal holiday). Honors the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
• Confederate Memorial Day Celebrated by the original Confederate States at various times during the year; still celebrated on the fourth Monday in April in Alabama
• Patriot's Day (third Monday in April in Massachusetts and Maine, United States)
• Earth Day (22 April) Celebrated in many countries as a day to cherish nature.
• Queen's Day (30 April in the Netherlands)
• Labour Day (Many European and South American countries celebrate Labour Day on 1 May)
• Constitution Day (3 May) is one of the two most important national holidays in Poland (other being National Independence Day on 11 November). It commemorates proclamation of Constitution of 3 May (the first modern constitution in Europe) by the Sejm of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1791.
• Youth Day (4 May in the People's Republic of China, in commemoration Beijing students who protested against Western imperialism on this day)
• Victoria Day (Monday on or before 24 May in Canada, also in some parts of Scotland)
• Flag Day (14 June in the United States, 2 May in Poland)
• Juneteenth (19 June) Official holiday in 14 states that commemorates the abolition of slavery in Texas (unofficial in 5 other US states)
• Canada Day (1 July) in Canada, celebration of the date of the Confederation of Canada. Formerly known as Dominion Day, as this was the day on which Canada became a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire.
• Independence day or National day (4 July in the United States and other dates in many nations; it is the most important holiday in various countries around the globe.)
• Pioneer Day (24 July in Utah, United States)
• Army Day (1 August in the mainland territory of the People's Republic of China)
• Labor Day (first Monday in September in the United States (federal holiday), and Canada, where it is known as Labour Day)
• Grandparents Day (Sunday after September Labor Day – proclaimed in the United States by Jimmy Carter in 1978)
• Columbus Day (Celebrated by the U.S. on the second Monday in October.)
• Nanomonestotse (Starts the third Monday in October) Celebration of peace, observed within some Native American families.
• Guy Fawkes Night Day (5 November) In memory of the failed Gunpowder Plot by Guy Fawkes Celebrated in Great Britain and other countries of the commonwealth
• Melbourne Cup Day (held on the first Tuesday of November – the day of the Melbourne Cup in the Melbourne metropolitan area)
• Saint Nicholas Day (5 December in the Netherlands, 6 December in Belgium)
• Boxing Day (26 December in the Commonwealth of Nations)

Unofficial holidays

See also: Category:Unofficial observances

These are holidays that are not traditionally marked on calendars. These holidays are celebrated by various groups and individuals. Some are designed to promote a cause, others recognize historical events not recognized officially, and others are "funny" holidays, generally intended as humorous distractions and excuses to share laughs among friends.

• Friday the 13th
• April Fools' Day (1 April)
• Bloomsday (16 June based on James Joyce's novel Ulysses)
• Black Friday (The day after Thanksgiving in the United States.)
• Buy Nothing Day (The day after Thanksgiving in the United States)
• Christmas Eve (24 December)
• Festivus (23 December)
• Hummus Day (12 May)
• First Contact Day (5 April) (The day Vulcans establish first contact with humanity)
• Friendship Day (first Sunday in August)
• GIS Day (The Wednesday during Geography Awareness Week in November)
• International Cannabis Day/Four Twenty (20 April) (counterculture holiday for promotion of marijuana)
• International Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 September)
• Ninja day (5 December)
• Marathon Monday (local name in Boston for Patriot's Day)
• Mischief Night (30 October)
• Mole Day (23 October)
• Monkey Day (14 December)
• National Cancer Survivors Day (first Sunday in June)
• National Gorilla Suit Day (31 January)
• National Hug Day (21 January)
• No Pants Day (first Friday of May)
• Pi Day (14 March) or Pi Approximation Day (22 July)
• Record Store Day (third Saturday of April)
• Robert Burns Day/Burns Night (25 January)
• Super Bowl Sunday (Day of the National Football League championship)
• S.A.D. – (Singles Awareness Day) (14 February)
• Star Wars Day (4 May)
• Sweetest Day (3rd Saturday in October)
• Tax Freedom Day
• Towel Day (25 May) (a tribute to the late Douglas Adams)
• Opposite Day (25 January) (day where you do everything opposite)
• Put A Pillow On Your Fridge Day (29 May)

See also

• List of commemorative days
• List of commemorative months
• List of environmental dates
• List of food days
• List of food weeks
• List of food months
• List of unofficial observances by date