Public holidays in Armenia
The following is a list of holidays in Armenia.
Legal holidays and remembrance days
Non-working legal holidays and remembrance days
Per law 16 days are declared as non-working.[1][2][3] However, as 8 days from December 31 to January 7 are consecutive, at least two of these will span over weekend days, which are non-working anyway.
Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
1–2 January | New Year Day | Ամանոր | Tradition |
3–5 January | Pre-Christmas holidays | Նախածննդյան տոներ | Tradition
Government proposed to discard non-working status of these, but this never went into law. |
6 January | Christmas Day | Սուրբ Ծնունդ | Based on the calendar used in Armenian Apostolic Church |
7 January | The day of commemoration of all dead people after Christmas Day | Սուրբ Ծննդյան և Հայտնության տոնին հաջորդող` Մեռելոց հիշատակի օր | Based on the calendar used in Armenian Apostolic Church |
28 January | Army Day | Բանակի օր | In celebration of Armenian Army formation on that day in 1992 |
8 March | International Women's Day | Կանանց տոն | Women's day |
24 April | Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day | Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օր | Remembrance of victims of Armenian Genocide in 1915 |
1 May | International Workers' Day | Աշխատանքի օր | International Workers' Day |
9 May | Victory and Peace Day | Հաղթանակի եւ Խաղաղության տոն | Shushi Liberation Day - on May 8, 1992 Armenian forces freed the city from Azerbaijani military forces, marking an important milestone in Artsakh liberation war for Armenians.
Victory Day : 9 May (World War II) was a holiday throughout the USSR and is still an official holiday in Armenia. |
28 May | Republic Day | Հանրապետության օր | Establishment of the Democratic Republic of Armenia in 1918 |
5 July | Constitution Day | Սահմանադրության օր | Adopted in 1995 |
21 September | Independence Day | Անկախության օր | Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 |
31 December | New Year Days | Ամանոր | Tradition |
Other legal holidays
These are mentioned in the relevant law, but are not specified as non-working.[1]
Date | English Descript | Local Name | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
21 February | Mother Language Day | Մայրենի լեզվի օր | Corresponding to International Mother Language Day |
8th Thursday before Easter | Saint Vardanian's Day - the day of good activities and national tribute | Սուրբ Վարդանանց տոն՝ բարի գործի և ազգային տուրքի օր | |
28 February | Day of remembrance for victims of massacres organized in Azerbaijan SSR and protection of rights of Armenian refugees | Ադրբեջանական ԽՍՀ-ում կազմակերպված ջարդերի զոհերի հիշատակի և բռնագաղթված հայ բնակչության իրավունքների պաշտպանության օր | |
7 April | Motherhood and Beauty Day | Մայրության և գեղեցկության տոն | |
16 April | Day of Armenian Cinema | Հայ կինոյի օր | |
Last Saturday (or last Sunday if last Saturday is April 24) of April | Day of Citizen of Republic of Armenia | Հայաստանի Հանրապետության քաղաքացու օր | Introduced after 2018 Armenian revolution |
8 May | Defenders of the Country Day | Երկրապահի օր | Day of Yerkrapah veterans |
15 May | Family Day | Ընտանիքի օր | |
16 May | Students and Youth Day | Ուսանողների եւ երիտասարդների օր | |
1 June | Protection of Children's Rights Day | Երեխաների իրավունքների պաշտպանության օր | Corresponding to international Children's Day |
14 June | Day of Remembrance for the oppressed | Բռնադատվածների հիշատակի օր | |
64th day after Easter | Holiday of Saint Etchmiadzin | Սուրբ Էջմիածնի տոն | |
1 September | Knowledge and School Day | Գիտելիքի և դպրության օր | Knowledge and School Day marks start of school year |
12 September | Sparapet Day | Սպարապետի օր | Honors the memory of Mkhitar Sparapet |
5 October | Teachers' Day | Ուսուցչի օր | Corresponding to World Teachers' Day |
Second Saturday of October | Translators' Day | Թարգմանչաց տոն | Remembering the Holy Translators |
10 November | Day of local self-governance | Տեղական ինքնակառավարման օր | |
7 December | Day of Remembrance for Earthquake Victims and Disaster Resistance | Երկրաշարժի զոհերի հիշատակի օր | Remembrance of victims of 1988 earthquake |
9 December | Day of condemning and preventing genocides | Ցեղասպանությունների դատապարտման եւ կանխարգելման օր |
Other traditional, international and professional holidays, as well as religious holidays, can also be celebrated in Armenia. National minorities can also celebrate their national holidays.
Reshuffling by government
Government is allowed to swap working and non-working days. It usually makes use of this e.g. declaring Easter Monday (calculated according to Armenian Apostolic Church, and in general not always coinciding with Orthodox or Western Easter day calculations) non-working, while one of proximate Saturdays becomes a working days instead.
Other memorable days
On the fourth Sunday before 15 August (Dormition/Assumption), a special celebration called Vardavar (Վարդավար) takes place, where anyone is free to soak others with water from spray guns, hoses or even buckets.
Notes
- "DocumentView". www.arlis.am. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "Non-working holidays in Armenia". docs.google.com. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- "ԻՐՏԵԿ - Աշխատանքային օրացույց" (in Armenian). Retrieved 2020-01-28.