Public holidays in Belgium
Encyclopedia
In Belgium
there are twelve official public holiday
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.
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.
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.
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.