This is a list of public holidays in Cuba.
DateEnglish nameLocal name NotesJanuary 1Liberation DayThe day of the victory of the revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959 – after Fulgencio Batista fled the night before – which established the present government in Cuba. January 2Victory Daydate variesGood FridayMade a public holiday in 2012 at the request of Pope Benedict XVI, during his visit to Cuba in that year; confirmed as an annual holiday in 2013May 1International Workers' DayLabour DayJuly 25Day before the Commemoration of the Assault on the Moncada GarrisonDay before the anniversary of the assault on the Moncada Barracks.July 26Commemoration of the Assault on the Moncada Garrison (official name means "National Rebellion Day")The date after which the revolutionary movement (26 July Movement) was named. In the morning of July 26, 1953, some 160 men under the command of Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada army garrison in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's second-largest city. Although this action failed, it is seen as the beginning of the Castro-led insurrection that expelled Fulgencio Batista. There are normally two or three days of public holidays together.July 27Day after the Commemoration of the Assault on the Moncada GarrisonDay after the anniversary of the assault on the Moncada Barracks.October 10Independence DayThis day in 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, "Father of the Homeland", gave freedom to his slaves and started the independence war against the Spanish colonial power, which led to the Cry of Yara.December 25Christmas DayFrom 1969 to 1998, Christmas was a normal working day in Cuba. Official observance of Christmas was reinstated in 1998 after Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba.December 31New Year's EveNew Year's Eve in Cuba is a public holiday where it is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.
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