Independence Day, February 22. Saint Lucia became an independent nation within the British Commonwealth on this day in 1979.

Discovery Day, December 13. The island is named for Saint Lucia (Lucy) whose feast day is the day it is believed that Columbus discovered the island in 1502.

Thanksgiving Day, first Monday in October.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Carnival, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day (May 1), Whit Monday, Queen's Birthday, Corpus Christi, August Bank Holiday, Thanksgiving Day, Discovery Day, Christmas, and Boxing Day.

Liberation Day, February 5. Anniversary of the liberation of the republic, and also celebrated as Saint Agatha's Day.

National Day, April 1.

Fall of Fascism Day, July 28. A holiday commemorating Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's resignation in 1943.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Epiphany, Liberation Day, Anniversary of the Arengo (Mar 25), Investiture of the New Captains Regent (Apr 1), Easter Monday, Labor Day (May 1), Corpus Christi, Fall of Fascism Day, Assumption Day, San Marino Day (Sep 3), Investiture of the New Captains-Regent (Oct 1), All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, Immaculate Conception, Christmas, St Stephen's Day.

Independence Day, July 12.

Transitional Government Day, December 21, 1974.

Family Day, December 25.

National holidays.
Martyrs' Day (Feb 4), Independence Day, Armed Forces Day (1st week in Sep), and Farmers' Day (Sep 30).

National Day, September 12.

National Day of Saudi Arabia, September 23. [see below]

National holidays.
Islamic New Year, Ashoura, Mouloud, Leilat al-Meirag, Id al-Fitr, Id al-Adha.

Independence Day, April 4. Anniversary of acheiving sovereignty in 1960.

African Community Day, July 14. A holiday dedicated to African goals and culture. Also known as Day of Association.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Independence Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day (May 1), Ascension Day, Whit Monday, African Community Day, Assumption, All Saints' Day, Christmas, Mouloud, Korité (Id al-Fitr), Tabaski (Id al-Adha).

Liberation Day, June 5. Celebrates the initial resolution leading to independence on June 29, 1976.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Easter, Labor Day, Liberation Day, Corpus Christi, Independence Day (Jun 29), Assumption, All Saints' Day, Immaculate Conception, Christmas.

Independence Day, April 27. Anniversary of independence attained in 1961.

Republic Day, April 19. Commemorates the formation of the republic in 1971.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Independence Day, Christmas, Boxing Day, Mouloud, Id al-Fitr, Id al-Adha.

Independence Day, September 16, 1963. Anniversary of sovereign status.

National Holiday, August 9. Celebrates anniversary of independence from Malaysia in 1965.

Mooncake Festival, occurs in September. Celebrated by Chinese communities throughout the world.

Birthday of the Monkey God, occurs in February and September/October. This religious holiday celebrates the birthday of T'se Tien Tai Seng Yeh, the Monkey God, who cures the sick and frees the hopeless. It is celebrated twice a year in several Chinese temples in Singapore, especially in the Soon Thian Keng Temple on Bukit Permei. During the ceremony mediums with their cheeks and tongues pierced with skewers go into a trance and write out charms in their blood. The celebrations also include Chinese opera, or Wayang, puppet shows, and processions. Chinese parents ask the Monkey God to godfather their children in hopes that their children will grow up strong like the Monkey God. [shemanski p.158]

Birthday of the Saint of the Poor, occurs in March.

Vesak Day, occurs in May. See Buddhism.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, Good Friday, Labour Day (May 1), Vesak Day, National Holiday, Deepavali (Diwali), Christmas, Hari Raya Puasa (Id al-Fitr), Hari Raya Haji (Id al-Adha).

Slovak National Uprising Day, August 29.

Liberation Day, May 8. V-E Day. Commemorates the entrance in 1945 of the Soviet forces into Prague and the defeat of the Nazis. Originally observed on May 9, like the Soviets, but in 1992 it was moved to May 8 like the Western Europeans.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Easter Monday, May Day, Liberation Day, Day of the Slav Apostles (Jul 5), Slovak National Uprising Day, Reconciliation Day (Nov 1), Christmas.

National Statehood Day, June 25. Slovenia declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991.

Pre\'9aeren Day, February 8. Day of culture.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Pre\'9aeren Day, Easter Monday, Resistance Day (Apr 27), Labor Day, National Statehood Day, Assumption, Reformation Day (Oct 31), All Saints' Day, Christmas, Independence Day (Dec 26).

Independence Day, July 7, 1978.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, Queen's Birthday, Independence Day, Christmas, Boxing Day.

Independence Day, June 26. Anniversary of self-government in 1960.

Revolution Anniversary, October 21-22. Commemorates the bloodless revolution of 1969.

Foundation of the Republic Day, July 1. Anniversary of the union of former British and Italian protectorates in 1960.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day, Foundation of the Republic Day, Ashoura, Mouloud, Id al-Fitr, Id al-Adha.

Kruger Day, October 10, 1825. The birthday of Paulus Kruger, or Oom Paul.

Van Riebeeck Day, April 6. Honors the explorer Jan Van Riebeeck, who founded Cape Town. Also known as Founder's Day.

Republic Day, May 31. Commemorates the union of four South African colonies in 1910 and the establishment of the republic in 1961.

Family Day, second Monday of July.

Settlers' Day, first Monday in September. Commemorates the first settlers in southern Africa.

Day of the Vow, December 16. Previously known as Dingaan's Day.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Workers' Day (May 1), Ascension Day, Republic Day, Settlers' Day, Kruger Day, Day of the Vow, Christmas, Boxing Day.

Anniversary of the October Soci alist Revolution, November 7-8. Commemorates the revolution in 1917.

Victory Day, May 9. Commemorates the end of World War II.

Hispanidad Day, October 12. The Spanish name is Dia de la Hispanidad.

National Holiday of Spain, October 12. Honors Columbus' discovery of the New World. Occurs on the same day as Columbus Day in the USA.

Constitution Day, December 6.
Labor Day, July 18.

Queen Isabella Day, April 22. Birthday of Isabella [?] (b.1451), the Spanish queen who funded Christopher Columbus's expidition. Also occasionally observed by various states in the United States.

Fiesta del Arbol, March 26. Anniversary of the day in 1895 when King Alfonso planted a pine tree near Madrid.

Grenada Day, January 2. Commemorates the recapture of Grenada from the Moors in 1492.

Christmas, December 25. Children receive their presents during street festivals.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Epiphany, Maundy Thursday (except Barcelona), Good Friday, Easter Monday (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca), St Joseph the Workman (May 1), St Isidro's Day (May 15, Madrid only), Corpus Christi, King Juan Carlos' Saint's Day (Jun 24), St James Day (Jul 25), Assumption, National Day (Oct 12), All Saints' Day, Constitution Day, Immaculate Conception (except Barcelona), Christmas, Boxing Day (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca). Local holidays are also observed

Independence Day, February 4. A national holiday celebrating the anniversary of independence from Britain in 1948.

Republic Day, May 22. Anniversary of the constitution's ratification in 1972. In the same year the country changed its name from Ceylon.

National Heroes Day, May 22. [same as republic day?]

Kandy Perahera, occurs on a new moon in July. Festival of the Sacred Tooth.

Thai Pongal Day, occurs in January. A Hindu festival honoring the Sun God. Also known as Tamil Thai Pongal Day. [see also the Indian holiday Pongal]

Vesak Festival, occurs in May. See Buddhism.

Sinhala and Tamil New Year, April 14. Preceding day is also a public holiday. [may be on 13th?]

Hadji Festival Day, 4/29/96.

Bandaranaike Memorial Day, 9/26/96.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Tamil Thai Pongal Day, Independence Day, Good Friday, Sinhala and Tamil New Year, May Day, National Heroes Day, Diwali, Holy Prophet's Birthday, and Christmas. Also there is a monthy Full Moon Day.

Independence Day, January 1. Commemorates the anniversary of the establishment of sovereignty in 1956.

National Day, May 25. Commemorates the revolutionary council's assumption of power in 1969.

Uprising Day, April 6. Anniversary of the bloodless coup of 1985 that deposed Gaafar Mohammed Nimeri after tensions erupted over economic troubles and and Nimeri's imposition of strict Islamic law and attempts to make Sudan a formal Islamic state.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Unity Day (Mar 3), Uprising Day, Sham an-Nassim (Coptic Easter Monday), Decentralization Day (Jul 1), Christmas, Islamic New Year, Mououd, Id al-Fitr, Id al-Adha.

Independence Day, November 25, 1975.

Revolution Day, February 25.

National Union Day, July 1. Also Emancipation Day.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Phagwa (Holi), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day (May 1), National Union Day, Independence Day, Christmas, Boxing Day, Id al-Fitr.

Commonwealth Day, second Monday in March. A holiday that celebrating the nation's British Commonwealth status.

Flag Day, April 25.

Reed Dance Day, second Monday in July. "Umhlanga Day".

Somhlolo Day, September 6. Commemorates the country's independence in 1968.

King's Birthday, July 22. Birthday of the late King Sobhuza.

Incwala, December or January. Precise date varies.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Commonwealth Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, National Flag Day, Ascension Day, King's Birthday, Reed Dance Day, Somhlolo Day, United Nations Day, Christmas, Boxing Day, Incwala.

Constitution Day, June 6. Anniversary of the adoption of the constitution of 1809. Jointly celebrated with Sweden's Flag Day which commemorates June 6, 1523, when Gustavus I ascended to the throne.

Flag Day, June 6. Anniversary of Gustavus I ascension to the throne in 1523.

Birthday of the King, April 30. A national holiday honoring King Carl XVI Gustaf's birthday.

Gustav Adolf Day.

Luciadagen, December 13. Saint Lucia's Day. Ushers in the Yuletide. Before the Gregorian calendar was adopted, Lucia Day coincided with the winter solstice. The Swedes celebrate it by selecting "Lucia Brides" who dress up as St. Lucia and wear a crown of candles in their hair. A national Lucia is selected and honored in Stockholm with a parade and the Lucia Ball. See also Saint Lucia and Saint Canute.

Midsummer Celebration, June 22. See Midsummer Day.

Waffle Day, March 25. Same as Annunciation, but is thusly known in Sweden because of the custom of making waffles.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Midsummer, Christmas, St Stephen's Day.

Berchtold's Day, January 2. Honors Duke Berchtold V, who founded Bern, the capitol of Switzerland, in the twelfth-century. According to legend, he left on a hunt declaring he would name the city for the first animal he killed, which was a bear, or Bern in German.

Independence Day, August 1, 1291. Commemorates the formation of the Everlasting League by three cantons, which became the basis of the Swiss Confederation. Also known as Confederation Day or National Day.

Homstrom, first Sunday in February. A celebration of the end of winter. Observed by burning straw men which symbolizes the departing of Old Man Winter.

May Day Eve, April 30. See May Day and Walpurgis Night.

Glarus Festival, first Thursday in April. Commemorates the victory over the Austrians on April 9, 1388.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day (May 1), Ascension Day, Whitmonday, Independence Day, Christmas, and Boxing Day.

Revolution Day, March 8. Anniversary of the National Council of Revolution's assumption of power in 1963.

Evacuation Day, April 17. Celebrates the anniversary of the final evacuation of all French troops in 1946.

Unity Day, February 22. See Unity Day.

National holidays.
New Year's Day, Revolution Day, Greek Orthodox Easter, Egypt's Revolution Day, Union Day (Sep 1), Beginning of October War (Oct 6), National Day (Nov 16), Christmas, Islamic New Year, Mouloud, Leilat al-Meiraj, Id al-Fitr, Id al-Adha.