With over 190 countries in the world, it is expected that there are differences and similarities in each nation’s affairs and one significant aspect of difference in the running of the nations of the world is the number of public holidays celebrated. While some countries enjoy a wide range of public holidays others do not.
Countries celebrate national holidays for different reasons including religious observances, national days, remembrance days or days to commemorate some other special historical event unique to a certain state, country, or region.
Discussed in this article are 10 countries with the highest number of public or national holidays in the world.
1. Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia. It is the largest country in Mainland Southeast Asia, and has a population of about 54 million as of 2017.
Myanmar has a total of 32 public holidays with some holidays lasting as long as 5 days to 8 days. The country’s multicultural makeup helps it secure the top spot on this list.
There are numerous religious public holidays, such as the Start of Buddhist Lent (date varies), Christmas (25th December), Eid-ul-Adha (date varies) and Diwali (date varies), as well as historic days such as Independence Day (4th January) and Resistance Day (27th March).
2. Nepal
Nepal, an Asian country lies along the southern slopes of the Himalayan mountain ranges.
It is a landlocked country located between India to the east, south, and west and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles (800 kilometres) from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. The capital is Kathmandu. Nepal is the second on this list with a total number of 30 public holidays.
Along with an impressive number of public holidays, Nepal also has a standard six working days a week. Like Myanmar, Nepal’s diverse culture contributes to the country’s many different religious and non-religious public holidays.
3. Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and also called Persia, is a country in Western Asia. It covers an area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq. mi), making it the fourth-largest country entirely in Asia and the second-largest country in Western Asia behind Saudi Arabia. Iran has a population of 85 million, making it the 17th-most populous country in the world, and the second-largest in the Middle East.
Iran has a complex public holiday system, with many ‘unofficial’ public holidays added each year leading to the annual total reaching beyond 26.
The vast majority of Iran’s public holidays are based on important days and events in the Islamic calendar; because Iran uses both the solar and lunar Hijri calendars, there are few set dates for their public holidays.
4. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
The total number of public holiday celebrated in Sri Lanka is 25 as the country celebrates a wide variety of religious holidays and many interconnecting holidays that are specific to the country.
5. Malaysia
The fifth on the list of countries with the highest number of the public holiday is Malaysia with a total number of 23-25 holidays in a year.
Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country occupying parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. It’s known for its beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultural influences.
Public holidays in Malaysia are largely secular and reflect the presence of a wide variety of religions and cultures present within the country.
6. Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia.
It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq. mi). Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world and shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast; to the south, it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh has up to 22 public holidays and these public holidays are observed for various religious festivals; four for Islamic holidays, two for Hindu holidays, and one each for Buddhist and Christian holidays. In addition to this, there are various national holidays, including Language Martyr’s Day (21st February) and National Mourning Day on 15th August.
7. Egypt
Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and the southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula.
In Egypt, there are 22public holidays but it is important to know that public holidays in Egypt are quite complex.
The public holiday calendar is a mix of religious and non-secular days and is observed according to both the fixed Gregorian calendar and the varying dates of the Islamic lunar calendar.
One recent addition to Egypt’s public holiday roster is Revolution Day (25th January) which was introduced after the public uprisings of 2011.
8. Cambodia
Cambodia is a Southeast Asian nation whose landscape spans low-lying plains, the Mekong Delta, mountains and Gulf of Thailand coastline. Phnom Penh, its capital, is home to the art deco Central Market, the glittering Royal Palace and the National Museum’s historical and archaeological exhibits.
Cambodia has a total number of 21 public holidays.
The vast majority of Cambodia’s public holiday calendar is connected to Buddhist observances, usually in line with the Khmer lunar calendar (but the solar year is used too). This means that the dates of many Cambodian national holidays vary each year.
9. India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world.
The sheer size of India and its extensive history has led to a vast array of public holidays being observed. 21 public holidays are celebrated in India.
Many public holidays are based on various religious festivals (including Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism and Christianity).
Despite the prevalence of public holidays in this regard, there are only three national holidays: Republic Day on 26th of January, Independence Day on 15th of August, and Gandhi Jayanti (Gandhi’s birthday) on 2nd of October.
10. Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is a German-speaking, 25km-long principality between Austria and Switzerland. It’s known for its medieval castles, alpine landscapes and villages linked by a network of trails. The capital, Vaduz, a cultural and financial centre, is home to Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, with galleries of modern and contemporary art.
This European country has a lot of public holidays between the range of 20-22. Many of Liechtenstein’s public holidays are based around Christian celebrations such as Easter and Christmas. There are some lesser-known public holidays such as Whit Monday (June) and Mary’s Birth (September).
There are also two public holidays which are marked as such on calendars but are not legally recognised. They are Shrove Tuesday (sometimes referred to as “Pancake Day”) and Saint Berchtold’s Day, on 2nd January.
-TRIBUNE
