Public holidays in Belgium
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In Belgium there are twelve official public holidays. 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.
[edit] Public holidays
| Holiday | Date | Dutch | French | German |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 | nl:Nieuwjaar | fr:Nouvel An | de:Neujahr |
| Easter | varying | nl:Pasen | fr:Pâques | de:Ostern |
| Easter Monday | 1st Monday after Easter | nl:Paasmaandag | fr:Lundi de Pâques | de:Ostermontag |
| Labor Day | May 1 | nl:Dag van de arbeid | fr:Fête du Travail | de:Tag der Arbeit |
| Ascension | 6th Thursday after Easter | nl:Onze Lieve Heer hemelvaart | fr:Ascension | de:Christi Himmelfahrt |
| Pentecost | 7th Sunday after Easter | nl:Pinksteren | fr:Pentecôte | de:Pfingsten |
| Pentecost Monday | 8th Monday after Easter | nl:Pinkstermaandag | fr:Lundi de Pentecôte | de:Pfingstmontag |
| National holiday | July 21 | nl:Nationale feestdag | fr:Fête nationale | de:Nationalfeiertag |
| Assumption of Mary | August 15 | nl:Onze Lieve Vrouw hemelvaart | fr:Assomption | de:Mariä Himmelfahrt |
| All Saints | November 1 | nl:Allerheiligen | fr:Toussaint | de:Allerheiligen |
| Armistice Day | November 11 | nl:Wapenstilstand | fr:Jour de l'armistice | de:Waffenstillstand |
| Christmas | December 25 | nl:Kerstmis | fr:Noël | de:Weihnacht |
As in 2008 Labor Day and Ascension will both be on May 1, employers are 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.
[edit] Holidays celebrated in Belgium that are not official public holidays
| Holiday | Date | Dutch | French | German |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epiphany | January 6 | nl:Driekoningen | fr:Épiphanie | de:Erscheinung des Herrn |
| Valentine's Day | February 14 | nl:Valentijnsdag | fr:Saint-Valentin | de:Valentinstag |
| Day of the Flemish Community | July 11 | nl:Feest van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap | observed in Flanders only | observed in Flanders only |
| Day of the French Community of Belgium | September 27 | observed in the French Community only | fr:Fête de la Communauté française de Belgique | observed in the French Community only |
| All Soul's Day | November 2 | nl:Allerzielen | fr:Fête des morts | de:Allerseelen |
| Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium | November 15 | observed in the German-speaking region only | observed in the German-speaking region only | de:Tag der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft Belgiens |
| King's Feast | November 15 | nl:Koningsfeest | fr:Fête du Roi | de:Festtag des Königs |
| Saint Nicholas | December 6 | nl:Sinterklaas | fr:Saint-Nicolas (fête) | de: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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