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Public holidays in Chad

13 days in 2026 · 12 in 2027

Back to ChadCentral Africa

Next public holiday

All Saints' Day

After it: Republic Day, Saturday 28 November

Sunday, 1 November 2026

Chad has 13 public holidays with a day off in 2026 and 12 in 2027, and the list keeps the feasts of both of its main faiths: Easter Monday, All Saints' Day and Christmas beside Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the Prophet's Birthday. The extra day in 2026 is Monday 9 March, given off because International Women's Day fell on a Sunday.

Decree No. 97-413 of 30 September 1997, which revised the list, splits it in two. New Year's Day, Labour Day, Independence Day on 11 August and Freedom and Democracy Day on 1 December are paid, and so has 8 March been since Decree No. 273 of 7 March 2019. The other seven are days off without pay, on which an employer may make up the lost hours on other working days. Only the five paid days move to the Monday when they fall on a Sunday.

The three Muslim feasts follow the lunar calendar and arrive ten days earlier in 2027 than in 2026. Estimates for 2010, Pew Research's among them, put 52 to 58% of the population as Muslim and 39 to 44% as Christian, Muslims mostly in the north and east and Christians mostly in the south.

Days off in 2026
13Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
10Monday to Friday
On a weekend
3Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
5and 4 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Chad in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayOne of the five paid holidays. A 1 January that falls on a Sunday gives the Monday off in its place.Thursday
  2. 8 March: International Women's DayPaid since the decree of 7 March 2019. It closes the Semaine Nationale de la Femme Tchadienne (SENAFET), known locally as huit mars, kept anywhere from a day off school for girls to a week of races, contests and parades.Sunday
  3. 9 March: International Women's Day (observed)Monday 9 March 2026, the day off given in place of 8 March, which fell on a Sunday.MondayDate moves
  4. 20 March: Eid al-FitrThe feast of breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan, on 1 Shawwal; the decree calls it the Fête de la rupture du jeûne. Unpaid. The 2027 date is tentative.FridayDate moves
  5. 6 April: Easter MondayThe one movable Christian holiday. Good Friday is not on the list.MondayDate moves
  6. 1 May: Labour DayPaid. Saturday 1 May 2027 gets no day in its place, since the rule covers Sundays alone.Friday
  7. 27 May: Eid al-AdhaThe Feast of the Sacrifice on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah, also known as Tabaski. Unpaid, and tentative for 2027.WednesdayDate moves
  8. 11 August: Independence DayIndependence from France on 11 August 1960, with François Tombalbaye as the first president. The national day, and paid.Tuesday
  9. 25 August: The Prophet's BirthdayMaouloud El Nebi in the decree, on 12 Rabiʽ al-Awwal. Being unpaid, its Sunday date of 15 August 2027 brings no Monday off.TuesdayDate moves
  10. 1 November: All Saints' DayUnpaid. It fell on a Sunday in 2026 and no Monday was given.Sunday
  11. 28 November: Republic DayChad became an autonomous member of the French Community on 28 November 1958, after the referendum of 28 September that year. Unpaid.Saturday
  12. 1 December: Freedom and Democracy DayThe day in December 1990 that Idriss Déby took power, after his forces marched on N'Djamena and ended the rule of Hissène Habré. Paid.Tuesday
  13. 25 December: Christmas DayUnpaid, like every religious feast on the list.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Chad in 2026

Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.

  • 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
  • 3daysSat 7 Mar to Mon 9 MarInternational Women's Day, International Women's Day (observed)
  • 3daysFri 20 Mar to Sun 22 MarEid al-Fitr
  • 3daysSat 4 Apr to Mon 6 AprEaster Monday
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 4daysSat 8 Aug to Tue 11 AugWith Mon 10 Aug taken as leave · Independence Day
  • 4daysSat 22 Aug to Tue 25 AugWith Mon 24 Aug taken as leave · The Prophet's Birthday
  • 4daysSat 28 Nov to Tue 1 DecWith Mon 30 Nov taken as leave · Republic Day, Freedom and Democracy Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Chad in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 8 March: International Women's DayMonday
  3. 10 March: Eid al-FitrWednesdayDate moves
  4. 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
  5. 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
  6. 17 May: Eid al-AdhaMondayDate moves
  7. 11 August: Independence DayWednesday
  8. 15 August: The Prophet's BirthdaySundayDate moves
  9. 1 November: All Saints' DayMonday
  10. 28 November: Republic DaySunday
  11. 1 December: Freedom and Democracy DayWednesday
  12. 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday

The holiday provider lists none of the three Muslim feasts and not the Monday of 9 March 2026, so those days are added here from timeanddate's lists for 2026 and 2027. Timeanddate marks its 2027 dates for Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the Prophet's Birthday as tentative, since each depends on the sighting of the moon.

Timeanddate also lists Monday 29 November 2027 as Republic Day observed, Republic Day falling on a Sunday that year. The decree, as WageIndicator and Alwihda Info summarise it, gives a Monday off only for the five paid holidays, and Republic Day is not one of them, so that Monday is not counted here.

Decree No. 273 of 2019 was issued on the proposal of the minister of the civil service, labour and social dialogue, and it amends the 1997 text rather than replacing it. Annual leave is a separate entitlement: the Labour Code of 1996 grants 24 working days a year, and public holidays are not counted in it.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Chad

How many public holidays does Chad have?

Thirteen days off in 2026 and twelve in 2027. The list itself has twelve days: four civil holidays, International Women's Day, three Christian feasts and three Muslim ones, with Republic Day on 28 November. The thirteenth in 2026 is the Monday of 9 March, given because 8 March fell on a Sunday. In 2026 three of the days fall on a weekend, in 2027 four.

Which public holidays in Chad are paid?

Five: 1 January, 8 March, 1 May, 11 August and 1 December. The decree of 30 September 1997 named four of them, and a decree of 7 March 2019 added International Women's Day. The religious feasts and Republic Day are days off without pay, and an employer may recover the hours lost on them on other working days.

What happens when a holiday in Chad falls on a Sunday?

For the five paid holidays the Monday after becomes a paid day off, which is how Monday 9 March 2026 came to be one. The unpaid holidays get no Monday: All Saints' Day on Sunday 1 November 2026 brought none, and neither does the Prophet's Birthday on Sunday 15 August 2027. Timeanddate shows Monday 29 November 2027 for Republic Day, which the decree as summarised does not provide.

When is Eid al-Fitr in Chad in 2027?

On Wednesday 10 March 2027, by timeanddate's tentative date, which waits on the sighting of the new moon. It lands two days after International Women's Day on Monday 8 March, so a single day of leave on Tuesday 9 March gives five days off in a row, from Saturday 6 March to Wednesday 10 March. In 2026 Eid al-Fitr fell on Friday 20 March.

What does Freedom and Democracy Day on 1 December mark?

The day Idriss Déby came to power in 1990. In April 1989 he had broken with Hissène Habré and gone to Darfur, and in December 1990 his forces reached N'Djamena. A national charter followed on 28 February 1991. The date is one of the five paid holidays, and Tuesday 1 December 2026 sits a single working day from the weekend.

Why does Chad keep both 28 November and 11 August?

They mark two steps out of French rule. On 28 November 1958, after a referendum on territorial autonomy, Chad became an autonomous member of the French Community, and the day is kept as Republic Day. Full independence came on 11 August 1960, the national day. Only 11 August is a paid holiday.

What are the long weekends in Chad in 2026?

Five come without leave: Saturday 7 to Monday 9 March, Eid al-Fitr from Friday 20 March, Easter from Saturday 4 April to Monday 6 April, Labour Day from Friday 1 May and Christmas from Friday 25 December. Four more need one day of leave each: Friday 2 January, Monday 10 August before Independence Day, Monday 24 August before the Prophet's Birthday, and Monday 30 November, which joins Republic Day on the Saturday to 1 December.

How is International Women's Day kept in Chad?

As the end of SENAFET, the national week of Chadian women, and locally as huit mars. What happens varies from town to town: a small ceremony, a day off school for girls only, or a full week of races, contests and exhibitions by women's groups ending in parades. Since 2019 the day itself has been a paid holiday across the country.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-25. The page counts from Sunday, 25 October 2026, the day it was built.