Hindu Calendar Festival Dates: How They Work
Diwali in November one year, October the next; Holi in March, except when it is not quite. Hindu calendar festival dates follow a lunisolar system —…
Category: Holiday Explainers
Plain-language explainers on how public holidays work, from lunar calendars to substitute days.
Why Eid Dates Change Every Year: The Islamic Calendar
Every year, the same question: when is Eid? And every year, a slightly different answer. Why Eid dates change every year comes down to the Islamic…
Why Easter Moves Every Year: Movable Feasts Explained
Christmas is always 25 December. But Easter? It wanders across March and April like it owns the calendar. Why Easter moves every year is a question…
Substitute Holiday Meaning: What Happens When Holidays Fall on Weekends
Christmas Day on a Saturday — do you lose the day off? The substitute holiday meaning is simple: when a public holiday falls on a non-working…
Italy Patron Saint Holidays: How Every City Gets Its Own Day Off
Italy does something no other large European country does: it gives every city its own public holiday. Italy patron saint holidays mean that Rome, Milan, Naples…
France Public Holiday Falls on Weekend: What Happens Next
It happens most years: when a France public holiday falls on weekend days, workers wonder whether the day off is lost. Unlike the UK, France has…
Saudi Founding Day vs National Day: What’s the Difference
Saudi Arabia celebrates two national days, and visitors often mix them up. Saudi Founding Day vs National Day — what is the difference, when does each…
Public Holiday vs Bank Holiday vs Observance: What’s the Difference?
Public holiday vs bank holiday — are they the same thing? And where does an “observance” fit in? These terms get thrown around interchangeably, but they…
What Is a Public Holiday? A Simple Explanation
What is a public holiday? At its simplest, it is a day designated by a government on which most public institutions close and many workers get…
Is Today a Holiday? How to Check in Any Country
Is today a holiday? It is one of the most-searched questions on the internet every single morning — usually asked while staring at a closed bank…