Public holiday

General holiday established by law

"Civic holiday" redirects here. For the Canadian holiday, see Civic Holiday.

The Frecce Tricolori, with the smoke trail representing the national colours of Italy, above the Victor Emmanuel II Monument in Rome during the celebrations of the Festa della Repubblica, an Italian public holiday and the Italy's National Day[1]

A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year.

## Types

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### Civic holiday

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A civic holiday, also known as a civil holiday or work holiday, is a day that is legally recognized and celebrated as a holiday in a particular sovereign state or jurisdictional subdivision of such, e.g., a state or a province. It is usually a day that the legislature, parliament, congress or sovereign has declared by statute, edict or decree as a non-working day when the official arms of government such as the court system are closed. In federal states there may also be different holidays for the constituent states or provinces, as in the United States, where holidays that were established by the federal government are called federal holidays. Such days may or may not be counted in calculating the statute of limitations in legal actions and are usually days when non-custodial parents are given alternating visitation or access to their children from a prior marriage or relationship according to a parenting schedule.

The term may also be used to distinguish between days that may be celebrated as secular holidays rather than religious holidays such as the celebration of New Year's Day on January 1 (Gregorian calendar) and January 14 (Julian Calendar) in certain eastern Orthodox Christian countries such as Russia.

### Bank holiday

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In the United Kingdom, bank holidays are days established as public holidays in statute law.[2] In England and Wales, Good Friday and Christmas Day are known as common law holidays, as they have been celebrated by custom since time immemorial.[3] Bank holidays were introduced in the late 19th century to extend the labour rights citizens have on common law holidays to four additional days.[3][4]

In Ireland, public holidays are sometimes colloquially referred to as "bank holidays".

## Impacts

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The major social function of public holidays is the co-ordination of leisure time. This co-ordination has costs, such as congestion and overcrowding (in leisure facilities, on transport systems) and benefits (easier for people to arrange social occasions).[5]

Public holidays constitute an important part of nation building and become important symbols of the nation. They can build and legitimise the nation and are intended to foster national unity, social cohesion and popular identification. They provide national governments with annual opportunities to reinforce the status of the nation.[citation needed] Sabine Marschall argues that public holidays can be regarded as sites of memory, which preserve particular representations of historical events and particular national or public heroes.[6]

## By country

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Further information: List of countries by number of public holidays

In some countries, there are national laws that make some or all public holidays paid holidays, and in other countries, there are no such laws, though many firms provide days off as paid or unpaid holidays.

They vary by country and may vary by year. With 36 days a year, Nepal is the country with the highest number of public holidays but it observes six working days a week. India ranks second with 21 national holidays, followed by Colombia and the Philippines at 18 each. Likewise, Japan, China and Hong Kong enjoy 17 public breaks a year.[7] Some countries (e.g. Cambodia) with a longer, six-day workweek, have more holidays (28) to compensate.[8]

### Italy

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Main article: Public holidays in Italy

Christmas lights at Verona Arena in 2006[9] Christmas in Italy (in Italian: Natale) begins on 8 December, with the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the day on which traditionally the Christmas tree is mounted and ends on 6 January, of the following year with the Epiphany (in Italian: Epifania).[10]

Public holidays in Italy are established by the Italian parliament and, with the exception of city or community patronal days, apply nationwide.[11] These include a mix of national, religious and local observances. As for Whit Monday, there is an exception for South Tyrol. In Italy there are also State commemoration days, which are not public holidays.

### New Zealand

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Main article: Public holidays in New Zealand

In New Zealand, a national law sets 12 paid public holidays. If a worker works on a public holiday, they are to be paid 1.5 times their regular rate of pay and be given another alternate day off.

### South Africa

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Main article: Public holidays in South Africa

Sabie Marschall argues that the revised set of public holidays in post-Apartheid South Africa attempts to produce and celebrate a particular national identity in line with the political goal of the rainbow nation.[6]

### United States

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Main article: Public holidays in the United States

In the United States, there is no national law requiring that employers pay employees who do not work on public holidays (although the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts have paid holiday laws).

## Controversial holidays

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Some public holidays are controversial. For example, in the United States a federal holiday commemorates explorer Christopher Columbus, who is said to have discovered the Americas by Europeans. This has led to protests at Columbus Day parades and calls for the public holiday to be changed. Some states have adopted the day as Indigenous People's Day rather than Columbus Day.[12]

Similarly, Australia day commemorates the day when the First Fleet first arrived in the country on 26 January 1788 at Sydney Cove. This has also led to protests, with some Australians seeing the date as a symbol of the beginning of European oppression towards the indigenous population. The holiday has since garnered the nickname 'Invasion Day.'[13] Whilst the national date has yet to be changed, many Australia day staples, such as citizenship ceremonies and Triple J's Hottest 100, have been moved to alternative dates.

## See also

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* Holidays portal

* Bank holiday
* List of holidays by country
* Category:Lists of public holidays by country

## References

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1. ^ "Le feste mobili. Feste religiose e feste civili in Italia" (in Italian). Retrieved 29 December 2022.
2. ^ Pyper, Douglas (18 December 2015). "Bank and public holidays". Research briefings - UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
3. ^ a b "Bank Holiday Fact File" (PDF). TUC. 22 May 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
4. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bank Holidays". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 320.
5. ^ Merz, Joachim; Osberg, Lars (2006-04-01). "Keeping in Touch: A Benefit of Public Holidays". IZA Discussion Paper. Rochester, NY – via SSRN.
6. ^ a b Marschall, Sabine (January 2013). "Public holidays as lieux de mémoire: nation-building and the politics of public memory in South Africa". Anthropology Southern Africa. 36 (1–2): 11–21\. doi:10.1080/23323256.2013.11500039. ISSN 2332-3256.1–2&rft.pages=11-21&rft.date=2013-01&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080/23323256.2013.11500039&rft.issn=2332-3256&rft.aulast=Marschall&rft.aufirst=Sabine&rft_id=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23323256.2013.11500039&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Public+holiday" class="Z3988">
7. ^ Jha, Manish (7 October 2016). "Regular breaks". Nepali Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
8. ^ O'Byrne, Brendan; Hor, Kimsay (22 February 2018). "Can Cambodia stay competitive with so many public holidays?". The Phnom Penh Post. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
9. ^ "Il Natale accende Verona con le luminarie, alberi, stelle e proiezioni grafiche". Verona Sera (in Italian). Retrieved January 26, 2021.
10. ^ "The Best Christmas Traditions in Italy". Walks of Italy. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
11. ^ "Festività nazionali in Italia" (in Italian). Governo Italiano - Dipartimento per il Cerimoniale dello Stato. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
12. ^ "Why Columbus Day Courts Controversy". HISTORY. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
13. ^ "Australia Day wasn't always on 26 January. Why is the national holiday on that date now?". SBS News. Retrieved 2024-01-25.

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Public holidays by country

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Public holidays in Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with limited
recognition

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Dependencies and
other territories

* Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
* Madeira (Portugal)
* Mayotte / Réunion (France)
* Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
* Western Sahara

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Public holidays in Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

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Public holidays in Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

Other entities|

* European Union

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Public holidays in North America

Sovereign states|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Canada
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* El Salvador
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States

Dependencies and
other territories

* Anguilla
* Aruba
* Bermuda
* Bonaire
* British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Curaçao
* Greenland
* Guadeloupe
* Martinique
* Montserrat
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Barthélemy
* Saint Martin
* Saint Pierre and Miquelon
* Saba
* Sint Eustatius
* Sint Maarten
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* United States Virgin Islands

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Public holidays in Oceania

Sovereign states|

* Australia
* Federated States of Micronesia
* Fiji
* Indonesia
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Nauru
* New Zealand
* Palau
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Timor-Leste
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

Associated states
of New Zealand|

* Cook Islands
* Niue

Dependencies
and other territories|

* American Samoa
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Easter Island
* French Polynesia
* Guam
* Hawaii
* New Caledonia
* Norfolk Island
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Pitcairn Islands
* Tokelau
* Wallis and Futuna

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Public holidays in South America

Sovereign states|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Guyana
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Suriname
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Dependencies and
other territories

* Falkland Islands
* French Guiana
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

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