Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions

What is a public holiday?

A public holiday is a day set by law or government decision on which most workplaces and schools close and many people have the day off. Some holidays are religious, some national or historical, and some mark workers or the seasons. Which days count, and how they are paid, depends on each country's rules.

What is the difference between a public holiday and a bank holiday?

In some countries, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland, the term bank holiday is used for public holidays, because banks and many businesses close. In other countries a bank holiday can mean a day when only banks and financial markets are closed. We list the days that the data source marks as public holidays and show other observances separately.

Why do some holidays apply only to some regions?

Many countries let states, provinces or regions set their own holidays. Germany, Switzerland, the United States and Spain all have holidays that apply in some regions only. On this site, a holiday is marked Nationwide when it applies everywhere in the country, and Some regions when it applies only to part of it.

What happens when a public holiday falls on a weekend?

It depends on the country. Some countries move the day off to the nearest Monday or Friday, some give a replacement day later, and some simply let the holiday pass. The dates on this site are the calendar dates of the holiday itself. For replacement rules, check the official source for the country.

Why does the date of Easter change every year?

Western Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, so it can fall between 22 March and 25 April. Good Friday, Easter Monday and several other holidays are counted from Easter, so they move with it. Orthodox churches use a different calendar for the calculation, so their Easter often falls on another date.

How does this site know whether today is a holiday?

Each page contains the list of public holidays for the country and works out today's date in the country's main time zone, using your browser. That is why the answer stays correct even if you keep a page open past midnight. For countries that span several time zones, we use the time zone of the most populated or main region.

Where does the holiday data come from?

The holiday lists come from the open Nager.Date project, which collects public holidays by country. We rebuild the whole site every day so that changes in the source reach the pages quickly.

Can the dates be wrong?

Governments sometimes add, move or cancel holidays at short notice, and some holidays depend on religious or astronomical decisions. We do our best to keep the data current, but you should confirm important dates with an official government source before you book travel or plan business around them.

Does the site include every country?

We list the countries and territories for which the data source has public holiday information. If a country is missing, it is because no list is available in the source, not because it has no holidays.

How is the number of days until a holiday calculated?

We count the calendar days from today's date to the date of the holiday, using your device's date. Today counts as zero, so a holiday tomorrow is one day away. The week count shown next to it simply divides that number by seven.

Glossary

Public holiday

A day recognised by law or government on which most workplaces and schools are closed.

Nationwide holiday

A public holiday that applies in the whole country.

Regional holiday

A holiday that applies only in some states, provinces or regions of a country.

Observance

A day that is marked or remembered but is not a day off for most people, for example Valentine's Day or Mother's Day in many countries.

Movable holiday

A holiday whose date changes every year, such as Easter and the holidays counted from it.

Day in lieu

A replacement day off given when a public holiday falls on a weekend. Whether one is given depends on local law.

Bridge day

A working day between a public holiday and a weekend that many people take off to get a longer break.