Public holidays in Belgium
In Belgium there are ten official public holidays. Other particular days 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 | January 1 | Nieuwjaar | Nouvel An | Neujahr |
| Easter Monday | Monday after Easter | Paasmaandag | Lundi de Pâques | Ostermontag |
| Labour Day | May 1 | Dag van de arbeid | Fête du Travail | Tag der Arbeit |
| Ascension | 39 days after Easter | Onze Lieve Heer hemelvaart | Ascension | Christi Himmelfahrt |
| Pentecost Monday | Monday after Pentecost | Pinkstermaandag | Lundi de Pentecôte | Pfingstmontag |
| Belgian National Day | July 21 | Nationale feestdag | Fête nationale | Nationalfeiertag |
| Assumption of Mary | August 15 | Onze Lieve Vrouw hemelvaart | Assomption | Mariä Himmelfahrt |
| All Saints' Day | November 1 | Allerheiligen | Toussaint | Allerheiligen |
| Armistice Day | November 11 | Wapenstilstand | Jour de l'Armistice | Waffenstillstand |
| Christmas | December 25 | Kerstmis | Noël | Weihnachten |
As in 2008, when Labour Day and Ascension were both 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.
November 11 is not observed by the European Institutions, they are operational that day. Instead EU institutions observe Europe Day (Schuman Day) on May 9.
Particular days 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 | February 14 | Valentijnsdag | Saint-Valentin | Valentinstag |
| Iris Day (observed in Brussels Region only) | May 8 | Feest van de Iris | Fête de l'Iris | observed in Brussels Region only |
| Day of the Flemish Community | 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 only | Fête de la Communauté française de Belgique | observed in the French Community only |
| Day of the Walloon Region | third Sunday of September | observed in the Walloon Region only | Fête de la Région wallonne | Festtag der Wallonischen Region |
| Halloween | October 31 | Halloween | Halloween | Halloween |
| All Souls' Day, Birthday of Sander | November 2 | Allerzielen, verjaardag van Sander | Fête des morts | Allerseelen |
| Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium | November 15 | observed in the German-speaking Community only | observed in the German-speaking Community only | Tag der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft |
| King's Feast | November 15 | Koningsdag | Fête du Roi | Festtag des Königs |
| Saint Nicholas | December 6 | Sinterklaas | Saint-Nicolas | Sankt Nikolaus |
The days of the three communities are holidays for their civil servants and for employees of institutions controlled, supervised or 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.
See also
References
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