Family Day

Public holiday

Portrait of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin and his family by Philipp Friedrich von Hetsch

Date| Easter + 1 day, December 26, first Tuesday in November, fourth Friday in November

Family Day is a public holiday in the countries of Angola, Israel, Namibia, South Africa, Uruguay, Vanuatu, and Vietnam; in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan; in the American states of Arizona and Nevada; and as the second day of Songkran in Thailand. It was formerly observed in the Australian Capital Territory from 2007 to 2017.

## Australia

[edit]

### Australian Capital Territory

[edit]

Family and Community Day was celebrated on the first Tuesday of November from 2007 to 2009, coinciding with the Melbourne Cup. This public holiday was declared in 2007. Andrew Barr, then ACT Minister for Industrial Relations, stated the purpose of the new public holiday was:

"...to enable workers to take a break from their hectic work and to spend some quality time with their family and friends. ... Australians do work the longest hours of any country in the western world. We do deserve a break."[1]

In the years 2010–2016, the date was moved to the first Monday of the September/October school holidays. Where the first Monday of the school holidays falls on the ACT Labour Day public holiday (First Monday in October), the holiday is moved to the second Monday of the ACT school holidays.[2][3]

From 2018, Family and Community Day will no longer be a public holiday in the ACT. Replacing it is Reconciliation Day, held on the first Monday on or after May 27.[4]

## Angola

[edit]

Celebrated on December 25.[5]

## Canada

[edit]

Main article: Family Day (Canada)

Nearly two-thirds of Canadians reside in a province that observes a statutory holiday on the third Monday of February. The holiday is called Family Day in five provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan), Louis Riel Day in Manitoba, Islander Day in Prince Edward Island, and Heritage Day in Nova Scotia. There is no federally established Family Day.

This holiday was first observed in Alberta in 1990, followed by Saskatchewan in 2007 and Ontario in 2008. On May 28, 2012, the BC government announced that Family Day would be observed on the second Monday in February each year, starting February 11, 2013. In February 2018, the BC government announced that Family Day would move to the third Monday in February from 2019 onward, aligning the holiday with other Canadian provinces.[6] In April 2017, the NB government announced the family statutory holiday to begin in February 2018.

As a new holiday, there are no traditional activities that are associated with the day. Canadians use the long weekend for whatever purpose they like.[citation needed] In at least British Columbia, the decision to add this public holiday was due to the lengthy gap between the New Year's Day and Good Friday public holidays. Otherwise, Canadian provinces have a public holiday at least every other month.[citation needed]

Family Day is unrelated to National Family Week, a campaign put on each October by the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs.

## Israel

[edit]

In the 1990s, the last day of Shevat was declared Family Day (Hebrew: יום המשפחה) in Israel.

## Namibia

[edit]

Family Day is observed on 26th December and is distinguished from Christmas, allowing a focus on celebrating Christmas the day before, and a focus on spending time with family on the 26th.

## South Africa

[edit]

After 1995, Easter Monday was renamed Family Day.[7][8]

## United States

[edit]

Family Day is a state holiday in Nevada, celebrated on the day after Thanksgiving, i.e. the Friday following the fourth Thursday in November.[9]

American Family Day is a state holiday in Arizona and has been celebrated on the first Sunday in August since 1978.[10]

## Uruguay

[edit]

In Uruguay, the public holiday on December 25 is officially known as Family Day (Día de la Familia) rather than Christmas, for the sake of secularism.

## Vanuatu

[edit]

Family Day in Vanuatu is celebrated annually on December 26, traditionally Boxing Day, as a day on which school and work are suspended to spend the day giving thanks for and enjoying time with one's family, often by engaging in civic and religious events and a festive meal.

## Vietnam

[edit]

Vietnamese Family Day (Vietnamese: Ngày gia đình Việt Nam.) occurs on June 28 each year, having been established in 2001.[11] Family-oriented activities and events are organised throughout the country, although it is not a public holiday.[12]

On Vietnamese Family Day, gift-giving is an important tradition.[13] It serves as a meaningful expression of love and helps create lasting memories.[14][15][16] People meticulously prepare and exchange thoughtful gifts, not only within their own families but also for neighbors and friends. However, the true essence of gift-giving lies in the spirit of sincerity and genuine appreciation.[17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Hansard, Legislative Assembly for the ACT". 25 September 2007. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
2. ^ "Daylight Saving and Public Holidays in the ACT". Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate. Australian Capital Territory Government. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
3. ^ "Term Dates and Public Holidays". Education and Training Directorate. Australian Capital Territory Government. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
4. ^ "This year will be the last Family and Community public holiday". Canberra Times. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
5. ^ "National Holidays in Angola in 2021". Office Holidays. January 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
6. ^ "Government of BC News Release". 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
7. ^ "Public Holidays Act, 1994 (36)" (PDF). 1994-12-07. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-08-21. Retrieved 2006-04-05.
8. ^ "About SA – Public Holidays". 2006-03-28. Archived from the original on 2008-11-01. Retrieved 2006-04-05.
9. ^ "Chapter 236 – Holidays and Periods of Observance". Nevada Revised Statutes. Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
10. ^ "American Family Day". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
11. ^ "Quyết định về Ngày Gia đình Việt Nam" [Decision on Vietnamese Family Day]. GiadinhNet (in Vietnamese). General Department of Population and Family Planning (Ministry of Health). Retrieved 2017-06-27.
12. ^ "Family Day in Vietnam". Giadinhlavogia. Archived from the original on 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
13. ^ "Quảng Ninh: Trao quà cho phụ nữ, trẻ em DTTS khó khăn nhân Ngày Gia đình Việt Nam". baodantoc.vn. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
14. ^ "Ngày Gia đình Việt Nam sắp đến, chọn món quà tinh tế gửi tặng người thương". 10 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
15. ^ "Best Gifts For Family". teenyshirt.com. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
16. ^ "Gợi ý quà tặng ý nghĩa ngày Gia đình Việt Nam 28/6". kinhtedothi.vn. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
17. ^ "Gợi ý lời chúc ý nghĩa nhân Ngày Gia đình Việt Nam (28/6)". kinhtedothi.vn. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Family

* History
* Rights
* Household
* Nuclear family
* Extended family
* Conjugal family
* Immediate family
* Matrifocal family

First-degree relatives|

* Parent
* mother
* father
* Child
* son
* daughter
* Sibling
* brother
* sister

Second-degree relatives|

* Grandparent
* Grandchild
* Uncle/Aunt
* Niece and nephew

Third-degree relatives|

* Great-grandparent
* Great-grandchild
* Great-uncle/Great-aunt
* Cousin

Family-in-law|

* Spouse
* wife
* husband
* Parent-in-law
* Sibling-in-law
* Child-in-law
* daughter-in-law
* son-in-law

Stepfamily|

* Stepparent
* stepfather
* stepmother
* Stepchild
* Stepsibling

Kinship terminology|

* Kinship
* Australian Aboriginal kinship
* Adoption
* Affinity
* Consanguinity
* Disownment
* Divorce
* Estrangement
* Family of choice
* Fictive kinship
* Marriage
* Nurture kinship
* Chinese kinship
* Hawaiian kinship
* Sudanese kinship
* Eskimo kinship
* Iroquois kinship
* Crow kinship
* Omaha kinship

Genealogy
and lineage|

* Bilateral descent
* Cadet branch
* Common ancestor
* Family name
* Heirloom
* Heredity
* Inheritance
* Lineal descendant
* collateral descent
* Matrilineality
* Patrilineality
* Progenitor
* Clan
* Royal descent

| Family trees|

* Pedigree chart
* Genogram
* Ahnentafel
* Genealogical numbering systems
* Seize quartiers
* Quarters of nobility

|

Relationships|

* Agape (parental love)
* Eros (marital love)
* Philia (brotherly love)
* Storge (familial love)
* Filial piety
* Polyfidelity

Holidays|

* Mother's Day
* U.S.
* Father's Day
* Father–Daughter Day
* Siblings Day
* National Grandparents Day
* Parents' Day
* Children's Day
* Japan
* Family Day
* Canada
* American Family Day
* International Day of Families
* National Family Week
* UK
* National Adoption Day

Related|

* Breadwinner model
* Single parent
* Wedding anniversary
* Godparent
* Birth order
* Only child
* Middle child syndrome
* Sociology of the family
* Museum of Motherhood
* Astronaut family
* Dysfunctional family
* Domestic violence
* Incest
* Sibling abuse
* Sibling estrangement
* Sibling rivalry

* v
* t
* e

Public holidays in South Africa

* New Year's Day
* Human Rights Day
* Good Friday
* Family Day
* Freedom Day
* Workers' Day
* Youth Day
* National Women's Day
* Heritage Day
* Day of Reconciliation
* Christmas Day
* Day of Goodwill

* v
* t
* e

Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States

January|

* New Year's Day (federal)
* Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (federal)

* Birthday of Eugenio María de Hostos (PR)
* Confederate Heroes Day (TX)
* Eve of Three Kings' Day (PR, religious)
* Feast of Epiphany / Feast of Theophany (religious)
* Fred Korematsu Day (AZ, CA, FL, HI, VA)
* Idaho Human Rights Day (ID)
* Inauguration Day (federal quadrennial)
* Kansas Day (KS)
* Makar Sankranti / Pongal (religious)
* Robert E. Lee Day (FL)
* Stephen Foster Memorial Day (36)
* The Eighth (LA)
* Three Kings' Day (PR, VI, religious)
* World Religion Day (religious)

January–February|

* Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year (NY, cultural, religious)
* Vasant Panchami (religious)

February
American Heart Month
Black History Month|

* Washington's Birthday (federal)
* Valentine's Day

* Birthday of Luis Muñoz Marín (PR)
* Candlemas (religious)
* Charles Darwin Day / Darwin Day (CA, DE)
* Day of Remembrance (CA, OR, WA, cultural)
* Georgia Day (GA)
* Groundhog Day
* Imbolc (religious)
* Lincoln's Birthday (CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NY, WV)
* National Girls and Women in Sports Day
* National Freedom Day (36)
* Nirvana Day (religious)
* Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (religious)
* Promised Reformer Day (religious)
* Ronald Reagan Day (CA)
* Rosa Parks Day (CA, MO)
* Saviours' Day (religious)
* Susan B. Anthony Day (CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal)
* Tu B’shvat (religious)

February–March|

* Mardi Gras

* Ash Wednesday (PR, religious)
* Carnival (PR, VI, religious)
* Clean Monday (religious)
* Courir de Mardi Gras (religious)
* Intercalary Days (religious)
* Mahashivaratri (religious)
* Purim (religious)
* Shrove Tuesday (religious)
* Super Tuesday

March
Irish-American Heritage Month
Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Women's History Month|

* Saint Patrick's Day (ethnic)
* Spring break (week)

* Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos (religious)
* Casimir Pulaski Day (IL)
* Cesar Chavez Day (CA, CO, TX, proposed federal)
* Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico (PR, cultural)
* Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, MA)
* Harriet Tubman Day (NY)
* Hola Mohalla (religious)
* Holi (NY, religious)
* Lailat al-Mi'raj (religious)
* Liberation and Freedom Day (Charlottesville, VA, cultural)
* Mardi Gras (AL (in two counties), LA)
* Maryland Day (MD)
* Medal of Honor Day
* National Poison Prevention Week (week)
* Nowruz (cultural, religious)
* Ostara (religious)
* Pi Day
* Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day (HI)
* Promised Messiah Day (religious)
* Saint Joseph's Day (religious)
* Seward's Day (AK)
* Texas Independence Day (TX)
* Town Meeting Day (VT)
* Transfer Day (VI)
* U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day (36)
* Trans Day of Visibility (cultural)

March–April|

* Easter (religious)

* Good Friday (CT, NC, PR, NJ, VI, religious)
* Hanuman Jayanti (religious)
* Holy Thursday (PR, VI, religious)
* Holy Week (PR, religious, week)
* Lazarus Saturday (religious)
* Mahavir Janma Kalyanak (religious)
* Mesha Sankranti / Hindu New Year (religious)
* Palm Sunday (PR, religious)
* Passover (religious, week)
* Easter Monday / Bright Monday (VI, religious)
* Ramnavami (religious)
* Chandramana Uugadi / Souramana Uugadi (religious)

April
Arab American Heritage Month
Confederate History Month|

* 420
* April Fools' Day
* Arbor Day
* Birthday of José de Diego (PR)
* Confederate Memorial Day (AL, MS)
* Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust (week)
* DNA Day
* Earth Day
* Emancipation Day (cultural)
* Thomas Jefferson's Birthday (AL)
* Lag B’Omer (religious)
* Last Friday of Great Lent (religious)
* National First Ladies Day
* Pascua Florida (FL)
* Patriots' Day (MA, ME)
* Ridván (religious)
* San Jacinto Day (TX)
* Siblings Day
* Walpurgis Night (religious)
* Yom Ha'atzmaut (cultural, religious)

May
Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Military Appreciation Month

* Memorial Day (federal)
* Mother's Day (36)
* Cinco de Mayo

* Ascension of Baháʼu'lláh (religious)
* Ascension of Our Lord (religious)
* Caliphate Day (religious)
* Declaration of the Bab (religious)
* Harvey Milk Day (CA)
* International Workers' Day / May Day (CA, unofficial, proposed state)
* Law Day (36)
* Loyalty Day (36)
* Malcolm X Day (CA, IL, proposed federal)
* Military Spouse Day
* National Day of Prayer (36)
* National Day of Reason
* National Defense Transportation Day (36)
* National Maritime Day (36)
* Peace Officers Memorial Day (36)
* Pentecost (religious)
* Shavuot (religious)
* Truman Day (MO)
* Vesak / Buddha's Birthday (religious)

June
Pride Month|

* Juneteenth (federal, cultural)
* Father's Day (36)

* Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk County, MA)
* Carolina Day (SC)
* Don Young Day (AK)
* Fast of the Holy Apostles (religious)
* Flag Day (36, proposed federal)
* Helen Keller Day (PA)
* Honor America Days (3 weeks)
* Jefferson Davis Day (AL, FL)
* Kamehameha Day (HI)
* Litha (religious)
* Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (religious)
* Odunde Festival (Philadelphia, PA, cultural)
* Senior Week (week)
* Saint John's Day (PR, religious)
* West Virginia Day (WV)

July|

* Independence Day (federal)

* Asalha Puja Day (religious)
* Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera (PR)
* Birthday of Dr. José Celso Barbosa (PR)
* Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands (VI, cultural)
* Guru Purnima (religious)
* Khordad Sal (religious)
* Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (HI, unofficial, cultural)
* Martyrdom of the Báb (religious)
* Parents' Day (36)
* Pioneer Day (UT)
* Puerto Rico Constitution Day (PR)

July–August|

* Summer vacation
* Tisha B'Av (religious)

August|

* American Family Day (AZ)
* Barack Obama Day in Illinois (IL)
* Bennington Battle Day (VT)
* Dormition of the Theotokos (religious)
* Eid-e-Ghadeer (religious)
* Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (religious)
* Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (religious)
* Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day (HI)
* Krishna Janmashtami (religious)
* Lammas (religious)
* Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (TX)
* Naga Panchami (religious)
* National Aviation Day (36)
* Paryushana (religious)
* Raksha Bandhan (religious)
* Transfiguration of the Lord (religious)
* Victory Day (RI)
* Women's Equality Day (36)

September
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Gospel Music Heritage Month|

* Labor Day (federal)

* Brazilian Day (NY, cultural)
* California Admission Day (CA)
* Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (36)
* Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (36)
* Constitution Week
* Defenders Day (MD)
* Elevation of the Holy Cross (religious)
* Feast of San Gennaro (NY, cultural, religious)
* Ganesh Chaturthi (religious)
* Gold Star Mother's Day (36)
* His Holiness Sakya Trizin's Birthday (religious)
* Mabon (religious)
* National Grandparents Day (36)
* National Payroll Week (week)
* Nativity of Mary / Nativity of the Theotokos (religious)
* Native American Day (proposed federal)
* Patriot Day (36)
* Von Steuben Day

September–October
Hispanic Heritage Month|

* Chehlum Imam Hussain (religious)
* Oktoberfest
* Pitri Paksha (religious)
* Rosh Hashanah / Feast of Trumpets (TX, NY, religious)
* Shemini Atzeret (religious)
* Simchat Torah (religious)
* Vijaya Dashami (religious)
* Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement (TX, NY, religious)

October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
Filipino American History Month
LGBT History Month|

* Columbus Day (federal)
* Halloween

* Alaska Day (AK)
* Child Health Day (36)
* General Pulaski Memorial Day
* German-American Day
* Indigenous Peoples' Day
* International Day of Non-Violence
* Leif Erikson Day (36)
* Missouri Day (MO)
* Nanomonestotse (cultural)
* National School Lunch Week (week)
* Native American Day in South Dakota (SD)
* Nevada Day (NV)
* Spirit Day (cultural)
* Sweetest Day
* Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles (religious, week)
* Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day (PR, VI)
* White Cane Safety Day (36)

October–November|

* Birth of the Báb (religious)
* Birth of Baháʼu'lláh (religious)
* Day of the Dead (VI)
* Diwali (NY, religious)
* Mawlid al-Nabi (religious)

November
Native American Indian Heritage Month|

* Veterans Day (federal)
* Thanksgiving (federal)

* Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha (religious)
* All Saints' Day (religious)
* Beginning of the Nativity Fast (religious)
* Beltane / Samhain (religious)
* Barack Obama Day in Alabama (Perry County, AL)
* D. Hamilton Jackson Day (VI)
* Day after Thanksgiving (24)
* Day of the Covenant (religious)
* Discovery of Puerto Rico Day (PR)
* Election Day (CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, VA, WV, proposed federal)
* Family Day (NV)
* Friendsgiving
* Guru Nanak Gurpurab (religious)
* Hanukkah (religious)
* Lā Kūʻokoʻa (HI, unofficial, cultural)
* Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (religious)
* Native American Heritage Day (MD, WA, cultural)
* Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (religious)
* Trans Day of Remembrance (cultural)
* Unthanksgiving Day (cultural)

December|

* Christmas (religious, federal)
* New Year's Eve

* Advent Sunday (religious)
* Alabama Day (AL)
* Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (religious)
* Bodhi Day (religious)
* Chalica (religious)
* Christmas Eve (KY, NC, SC, PR, VI)
* Day after Christmas (KY, NC, SC, TX, VI)
* Festivus
* HumanLight
* Hanukkah (religious, week)
* Immaculate Conception (religious)
* Indiana Day (IN)
* Kwanzaa (cultural, week)
* Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (religious)
* National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (36)
* Nativity of Jesus (religious)
* Old Year's Night (VI)
* Pan American Aviation Day (36)
* Pancha Ganapati (religious, week)
* Rosa Parks Day (OH, OR)
* Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (religious)
* Wright Brothers Day (36)
* Yule (religious)
* Zartosht No-Diso (religious)

Varies (year round)|

* Eid al-Adha (NY, religious)
* Eid al-Fitr (NY, religious)
* Islamic New Year (religious)
* Yawm al-Arafa (religious)
* Hajj (religious)
* Laylat al-Qadr (religious)
* Navaratri (religious, four times a year)
* Obon (religious)
* Onam (religious)
* Ramadan (religious, month)
* Ghost Festival (religious)
* Yawm Aashura (religious)

Legend:

(federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies

See also: Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, Public holidays in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
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