Public holidays in Croatia

Public holidays in Croatia are regulated by the Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days Act (Croatian: Zakon o blagdanima, spomendanima i neradnim danima[1]).

Public Holidays (non-working)
DateEnglish nameCroatian namemoveable

2024 date

moveable

2025 date

Remarks
1 JanuaryNew Year's DayNova godina
6 JanuaryEpiphanySveta tri kralja
moveableEasterUskrs31 March20 April
moveableEaster MondayUskrsni ponedjeljak1 April21 April
1 MayLabour DayPraznik rada
30 MayNational DayDan državnostiHoliday from 1991 until 2001 and since 2020*
moveableCorpus ChristiTijelovo30 May19 June
22 JuneAnti-Fascist Struggle DayDan antifašističke borbe
5 AugustVictory and Homeland Thanksgiving DayDan pobjede i domovinske zahvalnosti
15 AugustAssumption of MaryVelika Gospa
1 NovemberAll Saints' DayDan svih svetih
18 NovemberHomeland War Victims Remembrance DayDan sjećanja na žrtve Domovinskog rataHoliday since 2020*
25 DecemberChristmas DayBožić
26 DecemberSaint Stephen's DaySveti Stjepan

* In 2020 there was a change in holidays: June 25 (was Statehood Day until 2019, became Independence Day in 2020) and October 8 (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). May 30 (was Day of the Croatian Parliament until 2019, became National Day in 2020) was promoted from a memorial day to a public holiday, and November 18 (Homeland War Victims Remembrance Day) was added as a new public holiday.

Note: 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 (working)
DateEnglish nameCroatian Nameremark
9 JanuaryDay of Unification of Međimurje with its Parent Body CroatiaDan sjedinjenja Međimurja s maticom zemljom Hrvatskom
15 JanuaryDay of international recognition of the Republic of Croatia and

Day of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region

Dan međunarodnoga priznanja Republike Hrvatske i

Dan mirne reintegracije hrvatskog Podunavlja

15 MarchDay of founding of the People's ProtectionDan osnivanja Narodne zaštite
30 AprilDay of the Death of Zrinski and FrankopanDan pogibije Zrinskog i Frankopana
9 MayEurope Day and

Day of Victory over fascism

Dan Europe i Dan pobjede nad fašizmom
moveableDay of Remembrance of Croatian Victims in the Fight for Freedom and IndependenceDan spomena na hrvatske žrtve u borbi za slobodu i nezavisnostSaturday/Sunday nearest to 15 May
25 JuneIndependence DayDan neovisnostiwas a Holiday until 2020
23 AugustEuropean Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and NazismEuropski dan sjećanja na žrtve totalitarnih i autoritarnih režima

– nacizma, fašizma i komunizma

30 AugustDay of Remembrance of Missing Persons in the War of IndependenceDan sjećanja na nestale osobe u Domovinskom ratu
25 SeptemberDay of the Decision about the Unification of Istria, Rijeka,

Zadar and the Islands with the Parent Body Croatia

Dan donošenja Odluke o sjedinjenju Istre, Rijeke,

Zadra i otoka s maticom zemljom Hrvatskom

8 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.
  • 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

References