Public holidays in Romania

Soldiers on a parade during the National Day of Romania, 1 December 2008

The following is a list of public holidays in Romania. According to Romanian law, Romania had 15 public holidays as of 2011, which cover 14% of the days of the year in the country.[1]

Official non-working holidays

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Date Romanian name English name Remarks
1-2 January Anul Nou New Year's Day
6 January Bobotează Epiphany Public holiday starting with 2024[citation needed]
7 January Sfântul Ion Saint John the Baptist Public holiday starting with 2024[citation needed]
24 January Ziua Unirii Principatelor Române Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities Celebrates unification of the Romanian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 and the foundation of the Romanian modern state.[2] A non-working day since 2016.
1 May Ziua Muncii Labour Day International Labour Day
April/May Paștele Good Friday, Easter, Easter Monday The official holiday is the Orthodox Easter. The holiday is three days long, Good Friday,[3] Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are non-working.
1 June Ziua Copilului Children's Day Public holiday starting with 2017[4]
May/June Rusaliile Pentecost, Pentecost Monday The 50th and 51st day after the Orthodox Easter.
15 August Adormirea Maicii Domnului/Sfânta Maria Mare Dormition of the Mother of God Also the Day of the Romanian Naval Forces since St. Mary is the patron saint of the Navy.
30 November Sfântul Andrei Saint Andrew's Day Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Romania.
1 December Ziua Națională a României National Day of Romania It celebrates the unification of Transylvania, Bessarabia and Bukovina with the Kingdom of Romania.
25-26 December Crăciunul Christmas Day Both first and second Christmas Day are holidays.

Other working holidays and observances

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Date Name Remarks
15 January National Culture Day[5] Celebration of the birth of the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu.[5]
27 January International Holocaust Remembrance Day
19 February Brâncuși Day[6] Not a public holiday.
20 February World Day of Social Justice
8 March Women's Day Observes International Women's Day[7]
9 March Anti-Communist Political Prisoners' Day[8]
20 March International Francophonie Day and International Day of Happiness
21 March International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, World Down Syndrome Day, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty[9] and Oltenia Day
22 March World Water Day
24 March World Tuberculosis Day
25 March Romanian Police Day and International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
27 March Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania Celebrates the Union of Bessarabia with Romania.
Last or second-to-last Saturday in March (March 31 in 2024) Earth Hour Not a public holiday
First Sunday in April (April 7 in 2024) NATO Day Not a public holiday – observed by the Government institutions
2 April World Autism Awareness Day
3 April Romanian Gendarmerie Day
7 April World Health Day
8 April Day of the Romani Ethnicity of Romania
22 April Earth Day Not a public holiday
23 April Railway Day, Librarian Day, World Book Day, National Day of the Romanian Tax Consultant
29 April War Veterans' Day[10]
First Sunday in May (May 5 in 2024) Mother's Day
Second Sunday in May (May 12 in 2024) Father's Day, Teenager's Day and National Dress Day
2 May National Youth Day
3 May World Press Freedom Day
5 May Day of the Tatar Language
8 May Equality of Opportunities Between Women and Men Day
9 May Independence Day,[11] Victory Day and Europe Day It celebrates Romania's proclamation of independence during the war against the Ottoman Empire in 1877–1878, concluded with the recognition of Romania's independence. Romania celebrates the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. Also, starting 2007, Romania observes Europe Day.
10 May Monarchy Day, Balkan Romanianness Day The first celebrates the crowning of Carol I as its first king, as well as all the kings of the Romanian monarchy.
14 May International Humanitarian Rights Day
15 May National Veterinary Day and International Day of Families
21 May World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
24 May Bulgarian Language Day[12]
25 May Slovak Language Day
27 May Mihai Viteazul Day In 1600, Michael the Brave briefly unified Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia under his rule.
31 May Military Reserves Day
Last Sunday in May (May 26 in 2024) Day of the Romanians Everywhere, Romanian Businessperson Day
May/June
(June 13 in 2024)
Heroes' Day/Ascension The 40th day from the Orthodox Easter. Not a public holiday – observed with military and religious festivities at the monuments dedicated to the national heroes (such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)
1 June Parents' Day
2 June National Adoption Day
4 June International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression and Trianon Treaty Day.
5 June National Day Against Child Abuse and World Environment Day
14 June World Blood Donor Day
20 June World Refugee Day
26 June National Flag Day, International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
First Sunday in July (July 7 in 2024) Justice Day
Second Sunday in July (July 14 in 2024) Statistician Day
20 July Romanian Aviation and Air Force Day
24 July Romanian Border Police Day
28 July National Ambulance Day and World Hepatitis Day
29 July National Anthem Day Date when Deșteaptă-te, române! was first performed, in 1848 at Râmnicu Vâlcea – not a public holiday
30 July Friendship Day
15 August Romanian Navy Day
23 August Liberation from Fascist Occupation Day and Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Fascism and Communism National holiday between 1949 and 1990. On 23 August 1944, King Michael I joined with pro-Allied opposition politicians and led a successful coup against Conducător of Romania, Marshal Ion Antonescu's fascist government. Romania joins the Allies and participates alongside the Red Army in further operations in countries under Nazi occupation. Since 2011, Romania observes the European Day for Commemoration of the Victims of Totalitarian and Authoritarian regimes, also as a reminder of the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact signed on this day in 1939 – which resulted in Romania losing most of the region that is now Moldova and parts of Ukraine (see Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina).
31 August Romanian Language Day
1 September Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Day
10 September World Suicide Prevention Day
13 September Firefighters of Romania's Day
14 September Romanian Engineer's Day
15 September International Day of Democracy
21 September International Day of Peace
28 September Czech Language Day
29 September World Heart Day
1 October International Day of Older Persons and Romanian Diver's Day
5 October World Education Day
9 October World Post Day
10 October World Mental Health Day
11 October Transylvanian Schools Day
17 October International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
24 October United Nations Day
25 October Armed Forces Day Not a public holiday. Observed by the Romanian Army and its veterans on the anniversary of the liberation of Carei, the last Romanian city under horthyst-fascist occupation during World War II. Also the birthday of King Michael I
11 November Veterans' Day
14 November Dobruja Day and World Diabetes Day Date which celebrates the integration of Northern Dobruja into Romania in 1878.
16 November International Day for Tolerance and Romanian World Heritage Day
19 November Men's Day and Romanian Researcher and Designer Day Observes men's day[7]
28 November Bukovina Day Date which celebrates the Union of Bukovina with Romania in 1918.
Third Thursday of November (November 21 in 2024) National Day Without Tobacco
Third Sunday of November (November 17 in 2024) World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
1 December World AIDS Day
2 December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
3 December United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities
8 December Constitution Day Date when the referendum on the Romanian Constitution was held in 1991 thus establishing the first democratic republic.
9 December International Anti-Corruption Day
10 December Human Rights Day
13 December Day of the Tatar Ethnicity of Romania
16 December National Solidarity Day Against Dictatorship
18 December Day of the National Minorities of Romania
20 December International Human Solidarity Day
21 December Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Communism in Romania Marks the peak of the victorious Romanian Revolution of 1989 and commemorates the victims who fell in the violent street confrontations between 16 and 27 December.
22 December Romanian Revolution Victory and Freedom Day

Traditional holidays – working observances

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Date Name Remarks
24 February Dragobetele Similar to St. Valentine's Day
1 March Mărțișorul Spring festival

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rata, Marinela (26 September 2011). "Câte zile naționale are România". România Liberă (in Romanian).
  2. ^ "Legea prin care 24 ianuarie a fost declarată zi liberă nelucrătoare a fost promulgată de Iohannis". Mediafax (in Romanian). 7 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Iohannis a promulgat legea prin care Vinerea Mare este sărbătoare legală nelucrătoare". Mediafax (in Romanian). 12 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ^ Inteligo. "Din 2017, salariații vor sta acasă și de Ziua Copilului. 1 iunie, inclusă de azi pe lista liberelor legale". Avocatnet.ro. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b "DOCUMENTAR: 15 ianuarie, Ziua Culturii Naţionale". Agerpres (in Romanian). 13 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Legea pentru declararea Zilei Brâncuşi ca sărbătoare naţională a fost promulgată de Iohannis" (in Romanian). Mediafax. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Legea nr. 22/2016 – declararea zilei de 8 martie — Ziua femeii si 19 noiembrie — Ziua bărbatului". Legeaz.net. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  8. ^ Mironescu, Vlad (23 April 2012). "9 martie, "Ziua Deținuților Politici Anticomuniști"". Gândul (in Romanian).
  9. ^ "Ziua internaţională a pădurilo (ONU)". Agerpres (in Romanian). 21 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Ziua Veteranilor de Război". Agerpres (in Romanian). 28 April 2015.
  11. ^ Cristea, Irina Andreea (9 May 2018). "9 Mai – Ziua Independenţei de Stat a României". www.agerpres.ro (in Romanian). Agerpres. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  12. ^ Mărgăritescu, Andrei (24 May 2015). "Ziua Limbii Bulgare, introdusă prin lege în România". România Liberă (in Romanian).
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