Public holidays in the Netherlands
The national holidays in the Netherlands are:
| Date | English name | Dutch name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Nieuwjaarsdag | |
| March or April | Good Friday | Goede Vrijdag | This is a national holiday, but not a mandatory paid holiday and a normal workday for most employees.[1] It is a popular day off due to the Easter weekend, especially the combination with Easter Monday. |
| March or April | Easter | Pasen | The Netherlands have a two-day holiday, called Eerste Paasdag on Sunday and Tweede Paasdag on Monday (lit. First Easter Day and Second Easter Day) |
| 27 April | King's Day | Koningsdag | If 27 April falls on a Sunday, King's Day is celebrated on the 26th. |
| 5 May | Liberation Day | Bevrijdingsdag | This is a national holiday, but not a mandatory paid holiday for everyone.[2] It is customary for many employers to grant a paid holiday every five years on this day. [3] |
| Forty days after Easter | Ascension Day | Hemelvaartsdag | The subsequent Friday is a popular day off for many people, though it is not a paid holiday.[4] |
| Seven weeks after Easter | Pentecost | Pinksteren | A two-day holiday (Sunday and the subsequent Monday), called Eerste Pinkstersdag and Tweede Pinksterdag (lit. First Pentecost Day and Second Pentecost Day) |
| 25–26 December | Christmas Day | Kerstmis | Like Easter and Pentecost, the Netherlands celebrate two days of Christmas, called Eerste Kerstdag and Tweede Kerstdag (lit. First Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day) |
While there are other holidays that are widely celebrated, these are not officially recognised national holidays. They are as follows:
- While Saint Nicholas's Eve (the eve of Sinterklaas, also called Sinterklaasavond or Pakjesavond) on 5 December is not a national holiday, it is widely celebrated. Saint Nicholas's traditional name day is on 6 December; it is however Saint Nicholas's Eve, the day before, which is the focus of celebrations in the Netherlands.
- In the south and east of the Netherlands, Carnival is celebrated on the three days before Ash Wednesday. The earliest possible date is on 1 February, the latest possible date is 9 March. Though not an official holiday, many people, particularly in the south, take the week off to celebrate. Schools in both regions schedule their spring holiday at the same time.[5]
- There has been some debate over whether the Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr (Suikerfeest in Dutch, lit. 'Sugar festival') should be a national holiday. This was met by opposition from right-wing political parties such as the PVV and SGP.[citation needed] For now, Eid ul-Fitr is not an official national holiday, but it usually justifies a day off for Islamic employees. Those opposed to this proposition say that there are enough national holidays as it is. [citation needed]Schools are still able to give additional days off for this purpose.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Is Goede Vrijdag een vrije dag? in Dutch, on rijksoverheid.nl
- ^ Is Bevrijdingsdag (5 mei) een vrije dag? in Dutch, on rijksoverheid.nl
- ^ "Public holidays in the Netherlands".
- ^ Is Hemelvaartsdag een vrije dag? in Dutch, on rijksoverheid.nl
- ^ a b On which public holidays are schools closed in the Netherlands? Rijksoverheid (Dutch government)
External links
[edit]- On which public holidays are schools closed in the Netherlands? Rijksoverheid (Dutch government)
- Calendar - Holiday Files
