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Public holidays are celebrated by the entire population of Egypt. Holidays in Egypt have many classifications. Some holidays are religious and others are secular, while some can be fixed holidays on the calendar while others are movable. There are four Islamic holidays and two Christian holidays. The National Day of Egypt is celebrated on July, 23 which coincides with the annual celebration of the Egyptian revolution of 1952 when the modern republic of Egypt was declared, ending the period of the Kingdom of Egypt.
Government offices and ministries in Egypt rest on Friday of each week. In addition, banks and many institutes have non-working days on Saturday too which is an official resting-day or Sunday which is not official but commonly used as a resting-day by non-governmental institutes and shops with Christian religious observance. Some barbershops and hairdressers close their shops on Monday instead of Friday, Saturday and Sunday when they keep their shops open.
National holidays
The following holidays are celebrated across the country, where government offices and ministries are closed. These holidays are either national secular holidays or important religious holidays.
Fixed holidays
The following holidays occur annually on a fixed day of the calendar:
| Date | English name | Arabic name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 7 | Christmas Day | عيد الميلاد المجيد | Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, according to the Coptic calendar (29 Koiak) |
| January 25 | Revolution Day 2011 National Police Day |
عيد ثورة 25 يناير عيد الشرطة |
Celebrates the day of the beginning of the Egyptian revolution of 2011, protesting the 29-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. Celebrates the anniversary of Police officers resistance against the British Army in 1952 during the final months of the Kingdom of Egypt. |
| April 25 | Sinai Liberation Day | عيد تحرير سيناء | Celebrates the final withdrawal of all Israeli military forces from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982. |
| May 1 | Labour Day | عيد العمال | |
| June 30 | 30 June Day | عيد ثورة 30 يونيو | Observes the June 2013 Egyptian protests, which saw President Mohamed Morsi deposed by the military a few days later. |
| July 23 | Revolution Day | عيد ثورة 23 يوليو | Celebrates the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 which led to the declaration of the modern republic of Egypt. This is considered the National Day of Egypt. |
| October 6 | Armed Forces Day | عيد القوات المسلحة | Celebrates Egypt's military forces. The date is based on Egypt and Syria's invasion of Israel in the Yom Kippur War, which eventually led to the return of the Sinai Peninsula from Israeli occupation back to Egyptian sovereignty. |
Some government-related offices, including most universities, are also closed on the Coptic Orthodox date of Epiphany, 19 January.
Movable holidays
The following days are public holidays but the date on which each occurs varies, either because the date is fixed relative to the lunar Islamic calendar or (in the case of Sham El Nessim) has no fixed date in any calendar. In order in which they occur:
| Date | English name | Arabic name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| April or May | Sham El Nessim (Spring Festival) | شم النسيم | The Monday following Orthodox Easter |
| 1 Muharram | Islamic New Year | عيد رأس السنة الهجرية | The first day of the year based on the lunar Islamic calendar (1 Muharram) |
| 12 Rabi' al-Awwal | Prophet Muhammad's Birthday | المولد النبوي الشريف | The birthday of Muhammad, according to the Sunni account (12 Rabi al-Awwal) |
| 1–3 Shawwal | Eid al-Fitr | عيد الفطر المبارك | Breaking of the fast of Ramadan, for three days (1-3 Shawwal) |
| 10–13 Zul-Higga | Eid al-Adha | عيد الأضحى المبارك | End of the Hajj and commemoration of the Sacrifice of Abraham, for four days (10-13 Dhu al-Hijjah) |
References
- ^ "Egypt Country Profile". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. MFA (Egypt). Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- "25 ينــــــاير عيدا قوميا لمصــــــــر". Archived from the original on 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- "public holiday to commemorate Egypt's 30 June revolution". Ahram Online. Al-Ahram Newspaper. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- "Official holidays in Egypt". Official Holidays. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
External links
- "World Holidays -> Egypt 2006". Oanda Corporation.
- "Egypt Holidays". Tours From Hurghada. 3 August 2019.
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