Public holidays in Estonia
Encyclopedia
All official holiday
s in Estonia
are established by acts of Parliament.
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
s in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
are established by acts of Parliament.
Public holidays
The following are holidays that mean days off:| Date | English Name | Estonian Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day New Year The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner.... |
uusaasta | |
| February 24 | Independence Day Independence Day An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another nation or state, and more rarely after the end of a military occupation... |
iseseisvuspäev | National Day National Day The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"... – celebrates the declaration of independence Estonian Declaration of Independence The Estonian Declaration of Independence, also known as the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia , is the founding act of the Republic of Estonia from 1918. It is celebrated on 24 February, the National Day or Estonian Independence Day.... in 1918. |
| Moveable Moveable feast In Christianity, a moveable feast or movable feast is a holy day – a feast day or a fast day – whose date is not fixed to a particular day of the calendar year but moves in response to the date of Easter, the date of which varies according to a complex formula... Friday |
Good Friday Good Friday Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of... |
suur reede | |
| Moveable Sunday | Easter Sunday | ülestõusmispühade 1. püha | Commonly known as lihavõtted. |
| May 1 | Spring Day (May Day) May Day May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures.... |
kevadpüha | |
| Moveable | Whitsunday (Pentecost) Pentecost Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus... |
nelipühade 1. püha | |
| June 23 | Victory Day Victory Day Victory Day is a common name of many different public holidays in various countries to commemorate victories in important battles or wars in the countries' history.- April 30 in Vietnam :... |
võidupüha | Celebrates the victory in the Battle of Võnnu during the Estonian War of Independence. |
| June 24 | St. John's Day or Midsummer Day | jaanipäev | Jaaniõhtu Jaaniõhtu St John's Eve and St John's Day are the most important days in the Estonian calendar, apart from Christmas. The short summer seasons with long days and brief nights hold special significance for the people of Estonia... is celebrated in the night before Midsummer Day. |
| August 20 | Day of Restoration of Independence Independence Day An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another nation or state, and more rarely after the end of a military occupation... |
taasiseseisvumispäev | Celebrates Estonia's restoration of independence in 1991. |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve Christmas Eve Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25... |
jõululaupäev | |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | esimene jõulupüha | |
| December 26 | Boxing Day Boxing Day Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as... |
teine jõulupüha |
National Holidays
The following holidays do not give a day off:| Date | English Name | Estonian Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 6 | The Epiphany | kolmekuningapäev | |
| February 2 | Anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Estonian) Tartu Peace Treaty or Treaty of Tartu was a peace treaty between Estonia and Russian SFSR signed on February 2, 1920 ending the Estonian War of Independence. The terms of the treaty stated that "Russia unreservedly recognises" the independence of Republic of Estonia de jure and renounced in... |
Tartu rahulepingu aastapäev | Treaty that ended the Estonian War of Independence |
| March 14 | Native Language Day | emakeelepäev | Kristjan Jaak Peterson Kristjan Jaak Peterson Kristjan Jaak Peterson also known as Christian Jacob Petersohn, was an Estonian poet, commonly regarded as a herald of Estonian national literature and the founder of modern Estonian poetry. His literary career was cut short by the tuberculosis that killed him at the age of 21. His birthday on... 's birthday. |
| Moveable Sunday | Mothers' Day | emadepäev | Held on the second Sunday of May. |
| June 4 | National Flag Day | Eesti lipu päev | Date when the Flag of Estonia Flag of Estonia The national flag of Estonia is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue , black, and white. The normal size is 105 × 165 cm... was first consecrated in 1884. |
| June 14 | Day of Mourning and Commemoration National day of mourning A national day of mourning is a day marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by that nation's government... |
leinapäev | Commemorating the victims of Soviet deportations Soviet deportations from Estonia As the Soviet Union had occupied Estonia in 1940 and retaken it from Nazi Germany again in 1944, tens of thousands of Estonia's citizens underwent deportation in the 1940s... in 1941 and 1949. |
| August 23 | European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism The European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism, also known as the International Black Ribbon Day, which is observed on 23 August, was designated by the European Parliament in 2008/2009 as "a Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian... |
kommunismi ja natsismi ohvrite mälestuspäev | Day when the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was signed in 1939. |
| Moveable Sunday | Grandparents Day | vanavanemate päev | Held on the second Sunday of September. |
| September 22 | Resistance Fighting Resistance during World War II Resistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns... Day |
vastupanuvõitluse päev | Otto Tief Otto Tief Otto Tief was a lawyer, an Estonian military commander during the Estonian War of Independence and a politician. He was Acting Prime Minister of the last government of Estonia before Soviet troops occupied Estonia in 1944... 's attempt to restore the Estonian independence National Committee of the Republic of Estonia The National Committee of the Republic of Estonia was formed by the underground resistance movements in German-occupied Estonia in March 1944. By April 1944 a large number of the committee members were arrested by the German security agencies.... in 1944 |
| November 2 | All Souls' Day | hingedepäev | |
| Moveable Sunday | Fathers' Day | isadepäev | Held on the second Sunday of November. |
| November 16 | Day of Declaration of Sovereignty Independence Day An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another nation or state, and more rarely after the end of a military occupation... |
taassünni päev | Estonian Declaration of Sovereignty Estonian Sovereignty Declaration The Estonian Sovereignty Declaration , fully: Declaration on the Sovereignty of the Estonian SSR was issued on November 16, 1988 during the Singing Revolution in Estonia. The declaration asserted Estonia's sovereignty and the supremacy of the Estonian laws over the laws of the Soviet Union... , which was issued in 1989. |