Public holidays in Belgium
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In Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 there are twelve official public holiday
Public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year....

s. Two of them always fall on a Sunday. Other holidays are also celebrated, but these are not official public holidays, and employers are not obliged to give their employees a day off. However, some employers do award a day's holiday in accordance with union negotiations.

Public holidays

Holiday Date Dutch French German
New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...

January 1 Nieuwjaar Nouvel An Neujahr
Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

varying Pasen Pâques Ostern
Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...

1st Monday after Easter Paasmaandag Lundi de Pâques Ostermontag
Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...

May 1 Dag van de arbeid Fête du Travail Tag der Arbeit
Ascension 6th Thursday after Easter Onze Lieve Heer hemelvaart Ascension Christi Himmelfahrt
Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...

7th Sunday after Easter Pinksteren Pentecôte Pfingsten
Pentecost Monday 8th Monday after Easter Pinkstermaandag Lundi de Pentecôte Pfingstmontag
National holiday
National Day
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...

July 21 Nationale feestdag Fête nationale Nationalfeiertag
Assumption of Mary
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...

August 15 Onze Lieve Vrouw hemelvaart Assomption Mariä Himmelfahrt
All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...

November 1 Allerheiligen Toussaint Allerheiligen
Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...

November 11 Wapenstilstand (Belgische feestdag) Jour de l'armistice Waffenstillstand
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

December 25 Kerstmis Noël Weihnacht


As in 2008, Labor Day and Ascension were both be on May 1, employers were required to declare an additional holiday on another day in the month. May 2 had been proclaimed as the official day for this, but, in response to complaints by several industries, the government decided that the holiday could be placed on any date. In any event, most employers seem to have decided to keep May 2 as the date.

Holidays celebrated in Belgium that are not official public holidays

Holiday Date Dutch French German
Epiphany January 6 Driekoningen Épiphanie Erscheinung des Herrn
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...

February 14 Valentijnsdag Saint-Valentin Valentinstag
Day of the Flemish Community
Day of the Flemish Community
The Day of the Flemish Community of Belgium, also known as the Flemish Community Day, is celebrated every year on 11 July in remembrance for the Battle of Golden Spurs or Guldensporenslag and is observed only by the Flemish Community of Belgium.- History :...

July 11 Feest van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap observed in Flemish Community only observed in Flemish Community only
Day of the French Community of Belgium September 27 observed in the French Community
French Community of Belgium
The French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...

 only
Fête de la Communauté française de Belgique observed in the French Community
French Community of Belgium
The French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...

 only
All Souls' Day November 2 Allerzielen Fête des morts Allerseelen
Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium
Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium
The Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium is celebrated on November 15 each year. It is a public holiday for the German-speaking Community of Belgium but it is not celebrated elsewhere in Belgium...

November 15 observed in the German-speaking Community only observed in the German-speaking Community only Tag der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft Belgiens
King's Feast
King's Feast
The King's Feast has been celebrated in Belgium on November 15 since 1866. Since 2001, the Belgian Federal Parliament holds a ceremony in honour of the King, in the presence of members of the Belgian Royal Family and other dignitaries. Federal ministries are closed on this day...

November 15 Koningsdag Fête du Roi Festtag des Königs
Saint Nicholas
Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure still celebrated today in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as French Flanders and Artois...

December 6 Sinterklaas Saint-Nicolas (fête) Sankt Nikolaus


The days of the three communities are holidays for their civil servants and for employees of institutions controlled, supervised of financed by them (e.g. municipalities, universities) and may also be observed by banks in the concerned community. King's feast is a holiday observed by all (i.e. federal, community or regional, provincial and local) administrations.
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