Lists of holidays
Lists of holidays by various categorizations.
Religious holidays
Abrahamic holidays
Christian holidays
- Advent
- Christmas
- Easter and Holy Week
- *Palm Sunday
- *Holy Monday
- *Holy Tuesday
- *Spy Wednesday
- *Maundy Thursday
- *Good Friday
- *Holy Saturday
- *Easter Vigil
- Feast of the Annunciation
- Feast of the Ascension
- Gregorian New Year
- Lent
- Mardi Gras
- Pentecost
- The 7th Day Sabbath
Islamic holidays
- Ashura
- Eid : Date determined by the lunar calendar and observation of the Moon
- *Eid al-Adha
- **Arafah
- *Eid al-Fitr
- **Chaand Raat
- Holy Month of Ramadan
- *Jumu'atul-Wida
- *Laylat al-Qadr
- Isra and Mi'raj
- Jumu'ah
- Mawlid
- Nisfu Sha'ban
- Nuzul Al Quran
- Raʼs al-Sanah al-Hijrīyah
Jewish holidays
- Chag HaMatzot
- Hanukkah
- Pesach
- *Lag BaOmer
- Purim
- Reishit Katzir
- Rosh Hashanah
- Shabbat
- Shavuot
- Sukkot or 8 days
- *Shemini Atzeret
- **Simchat Torah
- Yom Kippur
Bahá'í holidays
- 1st Day of Ridván
- 9th Day of Ridván
- 12th Day of Ridván
- Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá
- Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
- Bahá'í New Year
- Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
- Birth of the Báb
- Day of the Covenant
- Declaration of the Báb
- Execution of the Báb
Dharmic holidays (Indian)
Buddhist holidays
- Asalha Puja
- Blessed Rainy Day
- Bon Festival
- Buddha's Birthday or Vesak
- Diwali
- Magha Puja
- Pchum Ben
- Poya
Hindu holidays
Jain holidays
- Diwali
- Kshamavani
- Paryushana
Sikh holidays
- Diwali
- Gurupurab
- Guru Tegh Bahadur's Martyrdom Day
- Hola Mohalla
- Vaisakhi
Pagan holidays (ancient cultures)
Ancient Greek/Roman holidays
- Adonia/Rosalia
- Dionysia/Bacchanalia
- Floralia
- Kronia/Saturnalia
- Lemuralia
- Lykaia/Lupercalia
- Parentalia
- Vestalia
- Vinalia
Celtic, Norse, and Neopagan holidays
- Samhain/Halloween : 31 October–1 November, Celtic New Year, first day of winter
- Yule : 21–22 December, winter solstice, Celtic midwinter
- Imbolc/Candlemas : 1–2 February, Celtic first day of spring
- Ostara/Easter : 21–22 March, spring equinox, Celtic midspring
- Beltane/May Day : 30 April–1 May, Celtic first day of summer
- Litha : 21–22 June, summer solstice, Celtic midsummer
- Lughnasadh/Lammas : 1–2 August, Celtic first day of autumn
- Mabon : 21–22 September, autumn equinox, Celtic midautumn
Other holidays
East Asian holidays
- Chinese New Year
- Chongyang Festival
- Dragon Boat Festival
- Fukagawa Festival
- First Full Moon Festival
- Ghost Festival
- Gion Festival
- Harvest Festival
- Japanese Autumn Festival
- Kanda Festival
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- Qingming Festival
- Qixi Festival
- Sanja Festival
- Sannō Festival
- Tado Festival
Messianic interpretations of Jewish holidays
Holiday | Season | Month | Biblical references | Symbolic significance |
Passover | Spring | 14 or 15 Nisan | Leviticus 23:4-8, Deuteronomy 16:1-8, Matthew 26:17-27, John 6:1-71–11:55 | He dies. |
Feast of Unleavened Bread | Spring | 15-22 Nisan | Leviticus 23:5-8, Matthew 27:1-50, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 | He is buried and rids His house of sin. |
Feast of Firstfruits | Spring | 16 Nisan | Leviticus 23:9-14, Matthew 28:1-6, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 | He rises from the dead. |
Feast of Weeks | Spring | 6-7 Sivan | Leviticus 23:15-22, Numbers 28:26-31, Tobit 2:1, Acts 2:1-4 | He sends the comforter 7 weeks later. |
Feast of Trumpets | Autumn | 1 Tishrei | Leviticus 23:23-25, Daniel 7:25, 1 Corinthians 5:8–15:52 | He returns. |
Day of Atonement | Autumn | 10 Tishrei | Leviticus 23:26-27, Matthew 24:29-30, Romans 11:25-29, Hebrews 9:7 | He judges the non-believers. |
Feast of Ingathering | Autumn | 15-22 Tishrei | Leviticus 23:33-43, John 7:1–10:21, Ephesians 2:20-22, Revelation 21:3 | He will gather us for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. |
Feast of Dedication | Winter | 25 Kislev-2 Tevet | Maccabees 4:52-59, John 10:22 | He is the Light of the World. |
Feast of Lots | Winter | 14 Adar | Esther 9:20-31 | He delivers Israel and brings salvation to His people. |
The 7th Day Sabbath | Every Saturday of the year | All months of the year | Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-14, Hebrews 4:9-11 | He will dwell with us for a perpetual day of rest. |
Western winter holidays in the Northern Hemisphere
The following holidays are observed to some extent at the same time during the Southern Hemisphere's summer, with the exception of Winter Solstice.- Winter Solstice or Yule – The solstice celebrations 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.
- Christmas Eve – Day before Christmas. Traditions usually include big feasts at night to celebrate the day to come. It is the night when Santa Claus delivers presents to all the good children of the world.
- Christmas Day – Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus. Traditions include gift-giving, the decoration of trees and houses, and Santa Claus folktales.
- Hanukkah – Jewish holiday celebrating the defeat of Seleucid forces who had tried to prevent Israel from practicing the Jewish faith, and also celebrating the miracle of the Menorah lights burning for eight days with only enough olive oil for one day supply. In Hebrew, "Hanukkah" means "dedication" or "to dedicate".
- Saint Stephen's Day or Second Day of Christmas – Holiday observed in many European countries.
- Boxing Day – Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on the first non-Sunday after Christmas.
- New Year's Eve – Night before New Year's Day. Usually observed with celebrations and festivities in anticipation of the new year.
- New Year's Day – Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.
Secular holidays
- All Saints'/Souls' Day –. A time of remembrance of the Faithful - the Church Penitent of souls in Purgatory and the Church Triumphant of saints in Heaven.
- *Halloween –. Formerly All Hallows' Eve, it is a highly secularized outgrowth of Christian All Saints' Day on 1 November, and pagan Celtic Samhain.
- International Day of Peace –
- International Men's Day –
- International Women's Day –
- May Day, Labor/Labour Day, or International Workers' Day –
- Saint Nicholas Day –
- Saint Patrick's Day –
- Saint Valentine's Day –
Regional
Name | Date | Place | Details |
Chosŏn'gŭl Day or Hangeul Day | 15 January | North Korea | |
Chosŏn'gŭl Day or Hangeul Day | 9 October | South Korea | |
Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 3rd Monday in January | United States | |
Groundhog Day | 2 February | United States and Canada | |
Darwin Day | 12 February | Birthday of Charles Darwin to highlight his contribution to science. | |
Family Day | 18 February | Various regions of Canada | |
Presidents' Day | 3rd Monday in February | United States | 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. | Parts of the United States | |
Siblings Day | 10 April | Originally celebrated only in the United States. Can now be celebrated in various countries around the world. | |
Patriots' Day | 3rd Monday in April | Massachusetts and Maine, United States | |
Earth Day | 22 April | Celebrated in many countries as a day to cherish nature. | |
King's Day | 27 April | Netherlands | |
Constitution Day | 3 May | Poland | One of the two most important national holidays. It commemorates the proclamation of the Constitution of May 3, 1791 by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. |
Youth Day | 4 May | People's Republic of China | Commemorates Beijing students who protested against Western imperialism on this day. |
Cinco de Mayo | 5 May | Mexico | |
Parents' Day | 8 May | South Korea | |
Parents' Day | 4th Sunday in July | United States | Proclaimed by Bill Clinton in 1994. |
Victoria Day | Last Monday before 25 May | Canada, also Edinburgh and Dundee in Scotland | Birthday of Queen Victoria. |
Children's Day | 2nd Sunday in June | Various | |
Flag Day | 14 June | United States | |
Flag Day | 2 May | Poland | |
Juneteenth | 19 June | United States | Official holiday in 14 states; commemorates the abolition of slavery in Texas. |
Canada Day | 1 July | 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 | Various days; 4 July in the United States and other dates in many other nations | ||
Indian Arrival Day | Various days | Official holiday in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Mauritius, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Celebrated on the day when Indians arrived in various European colonies; Celebrated with parades re-enacting when indentured Indian immigrants landed in their respective colonies. |
Pioneer Day | 24 July | Utah, United States | |
Army Day | 1 August | Mainland territory of the People's Republic of China | |
Grandparents Day | Sunday after Labor Day | United States | Proclaimed by Jimmy Carter in 1978. |
Oktoberfest | 3rd Saturday in September | Munich, Germany | |
Columbus Day | 2nd Monday in October | United States | |
Indigenous Peoples' Day | 2nd Monday in October | United States | Celebrates the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. |
Nanomonestotse | Starts 3rd Monday in October | Celebration of peace, observed within some Native American families. | |
Guy Fawkes Day | 5 November | Great Britain and other countries of the Commonwealth | In memory of the failed Gunpowder Plot by Guy Fawkes. |
Melbourne Cup Day | 1st Tuesday in November | Melbourne metropolitan area | The day of the Melbourne Cup. |
Remembrance Day or Veterans Day | 11 November | United States, Canada and other Commonwealth nations | |
Thanksgiving | 4th Thursday in November | United States | Generally observed as an expression of gratitude for the autumn harvest. |
Thanksgiving | 2nd Monday in October | Canada | Since the climate is colder than in the US, the harvest season begins earlier. |
Kwanzaa | 26 December to 1 January | United States | Celebration of African heritage created in 1966 by African-American activist Maulana Karenga. Holiday's name comes from “matunda ya kwanza”. Kinara, a seven-branched candleholder, means seven main concepts of Kwanzaa. |
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 and Viernes Santo 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, Saint Patrick's Day can occasionally occur in Holy Week, the week before Easter; in this case the three holidays 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.
- 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. This arrangement results in a long weekend.
- The United States Congress changed the observance of Memorial Day and Washington's Birthday from fixed dates to certain Mondays in 1968. Several states had passed similar laws earlier.
Unofficial holidays, awareness days, and other observances
- 4/20
- April Fools' Day
- Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day
- Bloomsday
- Festivus
- Friendship Day
- Galactic Tick Day
- Giving Tuesday
- International Talk Like a Pirate Day
- Marathon Monday
- Mischief Night
- Mole Day
- Monkey Day
- National Cancer Survivors Day
- National Gorilla Suit Day
- National Hugging Day
- No Pants Day
- Opposite Day
- Pi Approximation Day or Pi Day
- Put A Pillow On Your Fridge Day
- Record Store Day
- Robert Burns Day/Burns Night
- Singles Awareness Day
- Star Wars Day "May the Fourth be with you"
- Super Bowl Sunday
- Sweetest Day
- Tax Freedom Day
- Towel Day