Rwanda 2026 Public Holidays

New Year

1 January.

The start of the Gregorian calendar year. Some sources list this alongside a separate New Year's Day entry when a country grants more than one day off around the turn of the year.

Day After New Year's Day

2 January.

A second public holiday on 2 January, observed in Scotland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia and a number of other countries where the New Year break is treated as longer than a single day.

National Heroes Day

Varies by country.

Honours the figures a country regards as founders or liberators. Common across the Caribbean, southern Africa and the Philippines.

Eid al-Fitr

1 Shawwal, the day after Ramadan ends. The date depends on a moon sighting and is often confirmed only a day or two in advance.

The festival that ends Ramadan, and the largest holiday of the year across the Muslim world. Most countries grant two to three consecutive days; Indonesia and Malaysia extend it further with collective leave. Because the date is set by moon sighting, calendars published far in advance are provisional.

Good Friday

The Friday before Easter Sunday.

Commemorates the crucifixion, and is the most widely observed Christian public holiday after Christmas. Together with Easter Monday it produces a four-day weekend in much of Europe, the Commonwealth and Latin America. In several countries it also carries trading or entertainment restrictions beyond the day off itself.

Easter Monday

The Monday after Easter Sunday.

A public holiday across most of Europe, the Commonwealth and Latin America, extending the Easter weekend to four days. Notably not a holiday in the United States, Portugal or Spain outside Catalonia and the Balearics.

Labor Day

1 May in most countries; the first Monday of September in the United States and Canada.

The workers' holiday. Almost everywhere it falls on 1 May; in the United States and Canada it was deliberately placed in September to avoid the associations of May Day.

Eid al-Adha

10 Dhu al-Hijjah, about seventy days after Eid al-Fitr, confirmed by moon sighting.

The Feast of Sacrifice, marking the end of the Hajj pilgrimage and commemorating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. Alongside Eid al-Fitr it is one of the two principal Islamic holidays, and is observed with several days off in most Muslim-majority countries.

Independence Day

The anniversary of the country's independence — a different date in every country.

The national day of a country that gained independence from another state, and typically its most important secular holiday. Over a hundred countries observe one, on dates ranging across the whole calendar.

Liberation Day

The anniversary of liberation from occupation — varies by country.

Marks the end of a foreign occupation, most often the end of Axis occupation in 1944–45. Observed in Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and a number of African and Asian states.

Assumption of Mary

15 August.

A Catholic and Orthodox feast marking the assumption of the Virgin Mary. A public holiday across southern and Central Europe, Latin America and francophone Africa, and the peak of the summer holiday season in France and Italy.

Christmas Day

25 December. The day off moves to the following weekday when it falls on a weekend.

The most widely observed public holiday after New Year's Day, a day off in the great majority of countries including many with no Christian majority, where it functions as a secular end-of-year holiday. Orthodox churches following the Julian calendar keep it on 7 January instead.

Boxing Day

26 December, moving to the next weekday when it falls on a weekend.

The second day of Christmas, a public holiday across the Commonwealth and much of Europe. Known as St Stephen's Day in Ireland, Italy and Central Europe, and as the Second Day of Christmas in the Nordics and the Netherlands.