The 26 cantons that make up Switzerland set their public holidays independently – with the exception of 1 August,Swiss National Day which is the only federal holiday. Furthermore, holidays can change depending on employers, and some holidays are specific to only a certain town or village. In general, the most reliable list of holidays for a given area will be found in a list of bank shops and offices close during bank holidays.

Public holidays in each canton Holiday Date AG AI AR BL BS BE FR GE GL GR JU LU NE NW OW SG SH SZ SO TG TI UR VS VD ZG ZH Total number of holidays per canton 12 12 9 9 9 9 14 9 11 11 12 15 9 13 14 9 10 14 15 10 15 14 9 9 13 10

Public holidays in specific places, parts of cantons

Holiday Date Holiday Partial HolidayCarnival1 Second Monday before Ash Wednesday SZ Thursday before Ash Wednesday LU, UR, NW SZ, SG, GR Monday before Ash Wednesday GL ZH, LU, UR, SZ, ZG, SG, AG Tuesday before Ash Wednesday SZ, NW, OW LU, UR, BL, SG, AG, TI Ash Wednesday NW SZ, BL, AR, TI, JU Friday after Ash Wednesday TI Monday after Ash Wednesday BS BL (Lower Part Afternoon), ZH Tuesday after Ash Wednesday FR Wednesday after Ash Wednesday BS BL (Lower Part Afternoon) Republic Day 1 March NE (only) Näfels Ride Usually the first Thursday in April GL (only) Sechseläuten Usually the third Monday in April (half-day) Zürich City, Schlieren (only) Independence Day 23 June JU (only) Peter and Paul 29 June TI LU, GR Knabenschiessen Second weekend in September(+ half Monday after) Zürich City (and Zürich Metro Area) (only) Prayer Monday Monday after Federal Day of Thanksgiving,Repentance and Prayer Legally recognized only in VD(Lundi du Jeûne) Also celebrated in NE and parts of BE.Bank holiday in VS. Mauritius Day 22 September AI (only) except Oberegg District St. Leodegar (Schutzengelfest) 2 October Lucerne City (only) L'Escalade 12 December GE (only) 1 The days around Carnival are (with the exception of very few individual municipalities) not public holidays. However, due to widely observed celebrations in the cantons mentioned, there are usually restrictions: for example, businesses might already close at noon or not open at all.

See also

Liturgical year in Switzerland

Notes and references

External links Comprehensive overview of Swiss holidays