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Public holidays in Eritrea

15 days in 2026 · 15 in 2027

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Next public holiday

Christmas Day

After it: New Year's Day, Friday 1 January

Friday, 25 December 2026

Eritrea has 15 days off for public holidays in 2026 and the same number in 2027, with Fasika, the Orthodox Easter, kept on a Sunday besides them. The Christian holidays follow the calendar of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, so Lidet, its Christmas, falls on 7 January and the Ge'ez New Year comes in September. Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Mawlid are days off as well, on dates set by the Hijri calendar.

Three holidays come from the war of independence, fought from 1961 to 1991. Revolution Day on 1 September marks its first battle, at Adal. Independence Day on 24 May is the date EPLF fighters entered Asmara in 1991 and, two years later, the date of formal independence from Ethiopia, while Martyrs' Day on 20 June remembers those who died in the war.

September holds three of the days off. In 2026 they were Revolution Day on the 1st, Kudus Yohannes, the Ge'ez New Year, on the 11th and Meskel on the 27th; in 2027 the last two move a day later, to 12 and 28 September.

Days off in 2026
15Not counting Easter Sunday, always a Sunday
On a weekday
11Monday to Friday
On a weekend
4Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
6and 3 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Eritrea in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayAmet ሓዲሽ ዓመትThe official New Year, by the Gregorian calendar. The Ge'ez year begins separately, at Kudus Yohannes in September.Thursday
  2. 7 January: Orthodox ChristmasLidet ልደትChristmas in the calendar of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, on 7 January in both years.Wednesday
  3. 19 January: Orthodox EpiphanyTimket ጥምቀትEpiphany, twelve days after Lidet. In 2026 it fell on a Monday and made a three-day weekend.Monday
  4. 8 March: Women's DayMaelti Anesti መዓልቲ ኣነስቲWomen's Day, on the date of International Women's Day. A Sunday in 2026, a Monday in 2027.Sunday
  5. 20 March: Eid al-FitrThe end of Ramadan, which began on 19 February in 2026. Eid fell on Friday 20 March that year, and the expected date in 2027 is 10 March.FridayDate moves
  6. 10 April: Good FridayArbi Siklet ዓርቢ ስቅለትGood Friday, two days before Fasika and dated by the same Orthodox reckoning: 10 April in 2026, 30 April in 2027.FridayDate moves
  7. 1 May: May DayInternational Workers' Day. In 2027 it is the Saturday between Good Friday and Fasika.Friday
  8. 24 May: Independence DayMaelti Natsinet መዓልቲ ናጽነትEPLF fighters entered Asmara on 24 May 1991, and formal independence from Ethiopia followed on the same date in 1993.Sunday
  9. 27 May: Eid al-AdhaKept by Sunni Muslims. In 2026 it came three days after Independence Day; in 2027 it is expected a week before it, on 17 May.WednesdayDate moves
  10. 20 June: Martyrs' DayMaelti Siwuat መዓልቲ ስውኣትRemembers those who gave their lives in the war of independence.Saturday
  11. 25 August: Mawlid, the Prophet's BirthdayMawlid al-NebiThe birth of the Prophet, kept by Sunni Muslims. In 2026 it fell a week to the day before Revolution Day.TuesdayDate moves
  12. 1 September: Revolution DayBahti Meskerem ባሕቲ መስከረምThe Battle of Adal on 1 September 1961, when Hamid Idris Awate and his companions engaged the Ethiopian army and police and opened the war of independence.Tuesday
  13. 11 September: Ge'ez New YearKudus YohannesThe Ge'ez New Year, on 11 September in 2026 and on 12 September in 2027.FridayDate moves
  14. 27 September: MeskelSixteen days after Kudus Yohannes in both years: 27 September 2026, a Sunday, and 28 September 2027, a Tuesday.SundayDate moves
  15. 25 December: Christmas DayChristmas on the Gregorian date, a day off as well as Lidet. A Friday in 2026, a Saturday in 2027.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Eritrea 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 17 Jan to Mon 19 JanOrthodox Epiphany
  • 3daysFri 20 Mar to Sun 22 MarEid al-Fitr
  • 3daysFri 10 Apr to Sun 12 AprGood Friday
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayMay Day
  • 4daysSat 22 Aug to Tue 25 AugWith Mon 24 Aug taken as leave · Mawlid, the Prophet's Birthday
  • 4daysSat 29 Aug to Tue 1 SeptWith Mon 31 Aug taken as leave · Revolution Day
  • 3daysFri 11 Sept to Sun 13 SeptGe'ez New Year
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Eritrea in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayAmet ሓዲሽ ዓመትFriday
  2. 7 January: Orthodox ChristmasLidet ልደትThursday
  3. 19 January: Orthodox EpiphanyTimket ጥምቀትTuesday
  4. 8 March: Women's DayMaelti Anesti መዓልቲ ኣነስቲMonday
  5. 10 March: Eid al-FitrWednesdayDate moves
  6. 30 April: Good FridayArbi Siklet ዓርቢ ስቅለትFridayDate moves
  7. 1 May: May DaySaturday
  8. 17 May: Eid al-AdhaMondayDate moves
  9. 24 May: Independence DayMaelti Natsinet መዓልቲ ናጽነትMonday
  10. 20 June: Martyrs' DayMaelti Siwuat መዓልቲ ስውኣትSunday
  11. 15 August: Mawlid, the Prophet's BirthdayMawlid al-NebiSundayDate moves
  12. 1 September: Revolution DayBahti Meskerem ባሕቲ መስከረምWednesday
  13. 12 September: Ge'ez New YearKudus YohannesSundayDate moves
  14. 28 September: MeskelTuesdayDate moves
  15. 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday

The three Muslim holidays follow the Hijri calendar, which is lunar, so each comes ten days earlier in 2027 than in 2026. The 2027 dates are the expected ones. Sources differed even for 2026: the United States embassy calendar gave Thursday 19 March for Eid al-Fitr, timeanddate Friday 20 March.

Four days off fell on a weekend in 2026: Women's Day and Independence Day on Sundays, Martyrs' Day on Saturday 20 June and Meskel on Sunday 27 September. None of the sources on file describes a substitute day.

Fenkil Day, 10 February, marks Operation Fenkil, the EPLF offensive that took Massawa in February 1990. The World Travel Guide lists it among Eritrea's public holidays; timeanddate and the United States embassy calendar do not.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Eritrea

How many public holidays does Eritrea have?

Fifteen days off in 2026 and fifteen in 2027. Wikipedia puts the nationally recognised holidays at about sixteen, a count that includes Fasika, which always falls on a Sunday. Three of the days off are Muslim and three come from the war of independence. The other nine are New Year's Day, Women's Day, May Day, Christmas on 25 December and five days on the calendar of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church: Lidet, Timket, Good Friday, Kudus Yohannes and Meskel.

When is Fasika in Eritrea in 2027?

On Sunday 2 May 2027, with Good Friday, Arbi Siklet, on Friday 30 April. May Day falls on the Saturday between them, so the three days run together, and Good Friday is the only one of them that would otherwise be a working day. Both dates follow the Orthodox reckoning, which put them on 10 and 12 April in 2026. Wikipedia records Good Friday and Easter as observed by all Christian denominations in Eritrea.

Which Muslim holidays are days off in Eritrea?

Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Mawlid, the birthday of the Prophet. In 2026 they fell on Friday 20 March, Wednesday 27 May and Tuesday 25 August. The expected dates for 2027 are Wednesday 10 March, Monday 17 May and Sunday 15 August, ten days earlier each. Sunni Islam has been one of the four religious bodies the government officially recognises since May 2002, and the Pew Research Center put Muslims at 36.6% of the population in 2020.

What does Revolution Day commemorate in Eritrea?

The Battle of Adal on 1 September 1961, when Hamid Idris Awate and his companions engaged the Ethiopian army and police. It opened a war of independence that lasted thirty years. The Tigrinya name of the holiday is Bahti Meskerem. In 2026 it fell on a Tuesday, a week after Mawlid, and in 2027 it falls on a Wednesday.

Why is Eritrea's Independence Day on 24 May?

Two events share the date. On 24 May 1991 EPLF fighters entered Asmara after the Ethiopian garrison there disintegrated, and the last battle of the war followed the next day at Assab. A referendum held from 23 to 25 April 1993 returned 99.83% for independence, and formal independence from Ethiopia came on 24 May 1993. The holiday fell on a Sunday in 2026; in 2027 it is a Monday and ends a three-day weekend.

When is the Ge'ez New Year in Eritrea?

Kudus Yohannes fell on Friday 11 September 2026, which made a three-day weekend, and falls on Sunday 12 September 2027. Meskel comes sixteen days later in both years, on Sunday 27 September 2026 and Tuesday 28 September 2027. In 2027 Monday 27 September is the one working day between the weekend and Meskel.

What are the long weekends in Eritrea in 2027?

Five come without leave. New Year's Day on a Friday opens the year with three days off, and Women's Day on Monday 8 March closes another. Good Friday on 30 April runs into May Day and Fasika, then Eid al-Adha on Monday 17 May and Independence Day on Monday 24 May give two more in successive weeks. A day of leave on Tuesday 9 March joins Women's Day to Eid al-Fitr for five days off, Saturday 6 to Wednesday 10 March, if Eid keeps its expected date.

Does Eritrea celebrate Christmas on 7 January or 25 December?

Both dates are days off. Lidet, on 7 January, is Christmas in the calendar of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and Timket follows twelve days later. The timeanddate calendar also lists 25 December as a public holiday, while the Wikipedia table of Eritrean holidays carries Lidet alone. Since May 2002 the government has recognised the Eritrean Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran church beside the Orthodox Church. Lidet fell on a Wednesday in 2026 and falls on a Thursday in 2027.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-16. The page counts from Sunday, 25 October 2026, the day it was built.