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When are the public holidays in Switzerland in 2022?

The Local Switzerland
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When are the public holidays in Switzerland in 2022?
Mark all the Swiss public holidays in your 2022 calendar. Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash

Switzerland has very few national public holidays, when most businesses, schools, and other institutions are closed. But there are many that are celebrated on a regional or cantonal level. Here’s a list of what is commemorated where and when.

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As with everything in Switzerland, things differ widely from canton to canton.

There are only four holidays nationally:

January 1st (New Year’s Day), Ascension Day (May 13th in 2021), August 1st (National Day), December 25th (Christmas Day).

Technically speaking, Easter Sunday is also a national holiday, however it always falls on a Sunday. 

What else do you need to know? 

If the holiday falls on a weekend,  as Easter Sunday does, you do not get an extra weekday holiday in lieu.

For the purposes of this article the abbreviations for the 26 Swiss cantons are as follows:

Aargau (AG), Appenzell Innerrhoden (AI), Appenzel Ausserhoden (AR), Bern (BE), Basel-Country (BL), Basel-City (BS), Fribourg (FR), Geneva (GE), Glarus (GL), Graubünden (GR), Jura (JU), Lucerne (LU), Neuchâtel (NE), Nidwalden, (NW), Obwalden (OW) Schwyz (SZ),  Schaffhausen (SH), Solothurn (SO), St. Gallen (SG), Ticino (TI), Thurgau (TG), Uri (UR), Valais (VS), Vaud (VD), Zug (ZG), Zurich (ZH)

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READ MORE: Why is Switzerland divided into 26 cantons?

January:

1st: New Year’s Day, National

2nd: Saint Berchtold’s Day , AG, BE, FR, GL, JU, LU, OW, SH, TG, VD

6th: Epiphany, GR, LU, SZ, TI, UR

March:

1st: Republic Day,  NE

19th: St Joseph’s Day,   GR, LU, NW, SZ, TI, UR, VS

April:

15th: Good Friday, national except TI and VS

17th:  Easter Sunday, national

16th: Easter Monday,  national except NE, SO, VS, ZG

READ MORE: Easter trees and egg smashing: how to celebrate Easter the Swiss way

Easter Sunday always falls on...Sunday. Photo by Oliver Wiesenberg from Pexels
 

May:

1st: Labour Day,   BL, BS, JU, LU, NE, SH, SO, TG, TI, ZH

26th: Ascension Day,  national

June:

3rd: Corpus Christi,  national except AR, BL, BS, BE, GE, GL, NE, SH, SG, TG, VD, ZH

6th: Whit Monday,  national except NE, SO, VS, ZG

23rd:  Independence of Jura, JU

29th:  St Peter and St Paul,  GR, TI

August:

1st: National Day,  national

15th,  Assumption Day,     AG, AI, FR, JU, LU, NW, OW, SO, SZ, TI, UR, VS, ZG

READ MORE: Why Switzerland celebrates its national day on August 1st

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September:

8th:  Jeûne genevois,   GE

18th:  Day after the Federal Fast,   VD

22nd:  St Mauritius,  AI

25th:  Brother Klaus Festival,   OW

November:

1st:    All Saints’ Day,  national except AR, BL, BS, BE, GE, GR, NE, SH, TG, VD, ZH

December:

8th:  Immaculate Conception,   AG, AI, FR, GR, LU, NW, OW, SZ, TI, UR, VS, ZG

24th: Christmas Eve, GL

25th:  Christmas Day, national

Hopefully, Christmas will be without restrictions in 2022. Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels

31st:  New Year’s Eve, GL

31st: Restoration Day, GE

READ MORE: Three Swiss Christmas traditions you should know about

 

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