Public holidays in Egypt
Holidays in Egypt have many classifications. There are a set of public holidays celebrated by the entire population. Since Islam is the state religion, the Islamic holidays are observed by all Egyptians. Christian holidays are not national holidays (except eastern Christmas), however the Christians are permitted to observe these holidays.
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[edit] National holidays
The following holidays are celebrated across the country, with the government offices and ministries closed. These holidays are either national secular holidays or important religious holidays.
| Date | English Name | Description |
| January 7 | Christmas (Old Calendarists) | Celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ, according to the Oriental Coptic Orthodox Church (Old calendarist) |
| January 25
National January 25th Revolution [1] |
Egyptian Revolution Day | Celebrates the day of the beginning of the 2011 Egyptian revolution |
| April 25 | Sinai Liberation Day | Celebrates the final withdrawal of all Israeli military forces from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982. |
| May 1 | Labour Day | |
| July 23 | Revolution Day | Celebrates the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 |
| October 6 | Armed Forces Day | Celebrates the crossing of the Suez Canal by Egyptian forces during the October War |
Some government-related offices, including most universities, are also closed on the Coptic Orthodox date of Epiphany, 19 January.
[edit] Movable holidays
The following days are public holidays but the date on which each occurs varies, according to its corresponding Coptic or Islamic calendar, and thus has no set date. In order in which they occur:
| English Name | Description |
| Sham El Nessim (Spring festival) | The Monday following Orthodox Easter |
| Islamic New Year | The first day of the year based on the lunar Islamic calendar (1 Muharram) |
| Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (Sunni) | The birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, according to the Sunni account (12 Rabi al-Awwal) |
| Eid al-Fitr | Breaking of the fast of Ramadan, for three days (1-3 Shawwal) |
| Eid al-Adha | End of the Hajj and commemoration of the Sacrifice of Abraham, for four days (10-13 Dhu al-Hijjah) |
[edit] Other holidays
These holidays are widely celebrated, yet government offices, public institutions and ministries remain open.
| Date | English Name | Description |
| January 1 | New Year's Day | The New Year according to the Gregorian calendar |
| March 3 | Sportsmen's day | Celebrates all Egypt's sportsmen |
| March 21 | Mother's Day | Celebrates all mothers |
| June 18 | Evacuation Day (Eid el-Galaa) | Celebrates the final withdrawal of all British forces from Egypt on this date in 1956. |
| August 15 | Flooding of the Nile (Wafaa Elnil) | Celebrates the beginning of the Nile floods |
| October 21 | Egyptian Naval Day | Celebrates the sinking by the Egyptian Navy of the Israeli destroyer Eilat in 1967 |
| October 24 | Suez Day / Popular Resistance Day | Celebrates the resistance of local citizens in Suez during the October War. |
| December 23 | Victory Day | Celebrates the ending of the Tripartite Aggression in 1956. |
[edit] References
- "World Holidays -> Egypt 2006". Oanda Corporation. http://www.oanda.com/cgi/world_holiday.pl?hdnAction=search&country=63&year=2006.
- "Egypt Holidays". Planetware. http://www.planetware.com/national-information/egypt-tourist-offices-national-holidays-egy.htm#holidays.
[edit] External links
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