Public holidays in Croatia are regulated by the Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days Act ().
Holidays and non-working days
Date English name Croatian nameNotes 1 JanuaryNew Year's DayNova godina 6 JanuaryEpiphanySveta tri kraljamoveableEasterUskrsmoveableEaster MondayUskrsni ponedjeljak 1 MayLabour DayPraznik rada 30 MayStatehood DayDan državnostiHoliday from 1991 until 2001 and since 2020*moveableCorpus ChristiTijelovo 22 JuneAnti-Fascist Struggle DayDan antifašističke borbe 5 AugustVictory and Homeland Thanksgiving DayDan pobjede i domovinske zahvalnosti 15 AugustAssumption DayVelika Gospa 1 NovemberAll Saints' DayDan svih svetih 18 NovemberDay of Remembrance for the Victims of the Homeland WarDan sjećanja na žrtve Domovinskog rataHoliday since 2020* 25 DecemberChristmasBožić 26 DecemberSaint Stephen's DaySveti Stjepan
* In 2020 there was a change in holidays: 25 June (was Statehood Day until 2019, became Independence Day in 2020) and 8 October (was Independence Day until 2019, became Day of the Croatian Parliament in 2020) changed names and were demoted from public holidays to memorial days (working). 30 May (was Day of the Croatian Parliament until 2019, became National Day in 2020) was promoted from a memorial day to a public holiday, and 18 November (Homeland War Victims Remembrance Day) was added as a new public holiday.
Citizens of the Republic of Croatia who celebrate different religious holidays have the right not to work on those dates. Christians who celebrate Christmas, Easter and Easter Monday per the Julian calendar, Muslims on the days of Ramadan Bayram and Kurban Bayram, and Jews on the days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Memorial days
DateEnglish nameCroatian NameNotes9 JanuaryDay of the Unification of Međimurje with its Parent Body CroatiaDan sjedinjenja Međimurja s maticom zemljom Hrvatskom15 JanuaryDay of the international recognition of the Republic of Croatia andDay of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube RegionDan međunarodnoga priznanja Republike Hrvatske iDan mirne reintegracije hrvatskog Podunavlja15 MarchDay of the Establishment of the National ProtectionDan osnivanja Narodne zaštite30 AprilDay of the Death of Zrinski and FrankopanDan pogibije Zrinskog i Frankopana3 MayDay of Remembrance for Children Killed and Injured in the Homeland WarDan sjećanja na ubijenu i stradalu djecu u Domovinskom ratu9 MayEurope Day and Victory Day over FascismDan Europe i Dan pobjede nad fašizmommoveableDay of Remembrance for Croatian Victims in the Fight for Freedom and IndependenceDan spomena na hrvatske žrtve u borbi za slobodu i nezavisnostSaturday/Sunday nearest to 15 May5 JuneCroatian Flag Day25 JuneIndependence DayDan neovisnostiwas a Holiday until 202023 AugustEuropean Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and NazismEuropski dan sjećanja na žrtve totalitarnih i autoritarnih režima – nacizma, fašizma i komunizma30 AugustDay of Remembrance of Missing Persons in the Homeland WarDan sjećanja na nestale osobe u Domovinskom ratu25 SeptemberDay of the Decision about the Unification of Istria, Rijeka, Zadar and the Islands with the Parent Body CroatiaDan donošenja Odluke o sjedinjenju Istre, Rijeke, Zadra i otoka s maticom zemljom Hrvatskom8 OctoberDay of the Croatian ParliamentDan Hrvatskoga saborawas a Holiday until 2020
Unofficial holidays Popular carnival celebrations are held in most cities and towns in the country on Shrove Tuesday (Pokladni utorak), when customarily businesses in public sector and hospitality industry cease work for the day earlier than usual, but the day is not officially designated a public holiday. Some cities also celebrate de facto public holidays on their patron saints' feast days. For example, in Split, the day of Saint Domnius (Sveti Duje) is celebrated on May 7, while Dubrovnik marks the day of Saint Blaise (Sveti Vlaho) on 3 February; business usually cease work earlier than usual on these days. Most of rural village parishes in Slavonia celebrate their patron saints' with kirbaj / kirvaj festival (from German kirche weihe) when schools are usually closed for a day. During second Yugoslavia, the country as a federal unit, celebrated the Day of the Republic on 29 November to commemorate the second session of AVNOJ. It is still celebrated by Yugo-nostalgists in Croatia today. Even though Christmas Eve (24 December ), New Year's Eve (31 December), and Good Friday are not public holidays, businesses customarily close earlier (as early as 12pm).
See also Public holidays in Yugoslavia
References