Lists of holidays


Lists of holidays by various categorizations.

Religious holidays

Abrahamic holidays (Middle Eastern)

Christian holidays

Buddhist holidays

Jain holidays

Ancient Greek/Roman holidays

In the order of the Wheel of the Year:

East Asian holidays

The following table is a chart based on a Messianic Jewish perspective of the 9 biblical holidays, along with their times and days of occurrence, references in the Bible, and how they point to Yeshua. All the holidays shown below are major with the exceptions of the Feast of Dedication and the Feast of Lots which are minor festivals.
HolidaySeason MonthBiblical referencesSymbolic significance
PassoverSpring14 NisanLevites 23:4-8, Words 16:1-8, Matthew 26:17-27, John 6:1-71–11:55He dies.
Feast of Unleavened BreadSpring15-21 NisanLevites 23:5-8, Matthew 27:1-50, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8He is buried and rids His House of sin.
Feast of FirstfruitsSpring16 NisanLevites 23:9-14, Matthew 28:1-6, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23He rises from the dead.
Feast of WeeksSpring6-7 SivanLevites 23:15-22, Numbers 28:26-31, Tobit 2:1, Acts 2:1-4He sends the comforter 7 weeks later.
Feast of TrumpetsAutumn1-2 TishreiLevites 23:23-25, Daniel 7:25, 1 Corinthians 5:8–15:52He returns.
Day of AtonementAutumn10 TishreiLevites 23:26-27, Matthew 24:29-30, Romans 11:25-29, Hebrews 9:7He judges the non-believers.
Feast of TabernaclesAutumn15-21 TishreiLevites 23:33-43, John 7:1–10:21, Ephesians 2:20-22, Revelation 21:3He will gather us for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Feast of DedicationAutumn-Winter25 Kislev-2/3 TevetMaccabees 4:52-59, John 10:22-23He is the Light of the World.
Feast of LotsWinter14 AdarEsther 9:20-31He delivers Israel and brings salvation to His people.
The 7th Day SabbathEvery Saturday of the yearAll months of the yearLevites 23:3, Words 5:12-14, Hebrews 4:9-11He will dwell with us for a perpetual day of rest.

Western winter holidays in the Northern Hemisphere

The following holidays are observed to some extent at the same time during the Southern Hemisphere's summer, with the exception of Winter Solstice.
  • Winter Solstice or Yule – The solstice celebrations are traditionally marked with anything that symbolizes or encourages life. Decorating evergreens with bright objects and lights, singing songs, giving gifts, feasting and romantic events are often included. For Neopagans this is the celebration of the death and rebirth of the Sun and is one of the eight sabbats on the Wheel of the Year.
  • Christmas Eve – Day before Christmas. Traditions usually include big feasts at night to celebrate the day to come. It is the night when Santa Claus delivers presents to all the good children of the world.
  • Christmas Day – Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus. Traditions include gift-giving, the decoration of trees and houses, and Santa Claus folktales.
  • Hanukkah – Jewish holiday celebrating the defeat of Seleucid forces who had tried to prevent Israel from practicing the Jewish faith, and also celebrating the miracle of the Menorah lights burning for eight days with only enough olive oil for one day supply. In Hebrew, "Hanukkah" means "dedication" or "to dedicate".
  • Saint Stephen's Day or Second Day of Christmas – Holiday observed in many European countries.
  • Boxing Day – Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on the first non-Sunday after Christmas.
  • New Year's Eve – Night before New Year's Day. Usually observed with celebrations and festivities in anticipation of the new year.
  • New Year's Day – Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

    Secular holidays

Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, around the world, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given.

International

  • Halloween –. Also called All Hallows' Eve, it is a highly secularized outgrowth of Christian All Hallows' Day on 1 November, and pagan Celtic Samhain.
  • International Men's Day –
  • International Women's Day –
  • May Day, Labor/Labour Day, or International Workers' Day –
  • Saint Nicholas Day –
  • Saint Patrick's Day –
  • Saint Valentine's Day –
  • Thanksgiving Day –. Generally observed as an expression of gratitude, traditionally to God, for the autumn harvest. It is traditionally celebrated with a meal shared among friends and family in which turkey is eaten. In Canada, since the climate is colder than in the US, the harvest season begins and ends earlier.

    Regional

NameDatePlaceDetails
Chosŏn'gŭl Day or Hangeul Day15 JanuaryNorth Korea
Chosŏn'gŭl Day or Hangeul Day9 OctoberSouth Korea
Martin Luther King Jr. Day3rd Monday in JanuaryUnited StatesHonors Civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Australia Day26 JanuaryAustraliaNational day of Australia
Groundhog Day2 FebruaryUnited States and Canada
Darwin Day12 FebruaryBirthday of Charles Darwin to highlight his contribution to science.
Family Day3rd Monday in FebruaryVarious regions of Canada
Washington's Birthday3rd Monday in FebruaryUnited StatesFederal holiday. Honors Founding Father George Washington.
National Science Appreciation Day26 MarchUnited StatesCelebration of science and scientists.
Confederate Memorial DayCelebrated by the original Confederate States at various times during the year; still celebrated on the fourth Monday in April in Alabama.Parts of the United States
Siblings Day10 AprilOriginally celebrated only in the United States. Can now be celebrated in various countries around the world.
Patriots' Day3rd Monday in AprilMassachusetts and Maine, United States
Earth Day22 AprilCelebrated in many countries as a day to cherish nature.
Children's Day23 AprilTurkeyNational Sovereignty and Children's Day
King's Day27 AprilNetherlands
Constitution Day3 MayPolandOne of the two most important national holidays. It commemorates the proclamation of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Youth Day4 MayPeople's Republic of ChinaCommemorates Beijing students who protested against Western imperialism on this day.
Cinco de Mayo5 MayMexico State of Puebla & Parts of the United States
Parents' Day8 MaySouth Korea
Parents' Day4th Sunday in JulyUnited StatesProclaimed by Bill Clinton in 1994.
Internet Day17 MayParts of Latin America
Victoria DayLast Monday before 25 MayCanada, also Edinburgh and Dundee in ScotlandBirthday of Queen Victoria.
Children's Day2nd Sunday in JuneVarious
Flag Day14 JuneUnited States
Flag Day2 MayPoland
Juneteenth19 JuneUnited StatesFederal holiday commemorates the abolition of slavery in Texas.
Canada Day1 JulyCanadaCelebration of the date of the Confederation of Canada. Formerly known as Dominion Day, as this was the day on which Canada became a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire.
Independence DayVarious days; 4 July in the United States and other dates in many other nations
Indian Arrival DayVarious daysOfficial holiday in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Mauritius, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesCelebrated on the day when Indians arrived in various European colonies; Celebrated with parades re-enacting when indentured Indian immigrants landed in their respective colonies.
Pioneer Day24 JulyUtah, United States
People's Liberation Army Day1 AugustMainland territory of the People's Republic of China
Grandparents' DaySunday after Labor DayUnited StatesProclaimed by Jimmy Carter in 1978.
Columbus Day2nd Monday in OctoberUnited StatesHonors explorer Christopher Columbus.
Indigenous Peoples' Day2nd Monday in OctoberUnited StatesCelebrates the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
NanomonestotseStarts 3rd Monday in OctoberCelebration of peace, observed within some Native American families.
Republic Day29 OctoberTurkey
Guy Fawkes Night5 NovemberGreat Britain and other countries of the CommonwealthIn memory of the failed Gunpowder Plot by Guy Fawkes.
Melbourne Cup Day1st Tuesday in NovemberVictoria, AustraliaThe day of the Melbourne Cup.
Remembrance Day or Veterans Day11 NovemberUnited States, Canada and other Commonwealth nations
Saint Verhaegen20 NovemberBrussels-Capital Region, BelgiumCelebrates the founding of the Free University of Brussels and its founder Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen after whom it was named.
Kwanzaa26 December to 1 JanuaryUnited StatesCelebration of African heritage created in 1966 by African-American activist Maulana Karenga. Holiday's name comes from "matunda ya kwanza". Kinara, a seven-branched candleholder, means seven main concepts of Kwanzaa.