The countries with the most bank holidays per year
Are we set to see more protests in France? According to reports from Paris, senior members of the Macron government have warmed to an idea – first proposed by fiscally right-wing senators – to dispense with one of the country’s 11 bank holidays in order to help the public coffers.
Naturally, the idea hasn’t gone over well. Not least since the original proposal was to turn a holiday into something euphemistically called a “journée de solidarité”, where workers forgo their entire day’s salary so their employers can pay it into the social security pot. One poll suggests 70 per cent of French workers oppose the idea.
Having a little chuckle at the obstinacy of the French unions has long been a British tradition. But should we be so smug? As a certain former Labour politician was fond of saying, England actually has the fewest public holidays of any European nation, with just eight days off each year.
Though if Mr Corbyn was proposing French-style radicalism as the solution, he may need a little history lesson. The modern British bank holiday actually originates with an old Etonian, the Liberal MP Sir John Lubbock, who penned the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, thus formalising the existing local holidays celebrated for decades into four national days off.
In fact, post-industrial Britain was actually enjoying bank holidays a whole nine years before France, which created its first national holiday (Bastille Day) in 1880. Although, of course, our Gallic neighbours have since more than caught up, with 11 public holidays throughout the year (and one journée de solidarité to partly make up for it).
It isn’t just the sheer number of holidays. One of the popular features of the French system (at least for workers) is the cluster of bank holidays around the beginning of May, including Labour Day, Victory Day, Ascension Day and Pentecost Friday. Workers who book off the remaining days get to enjoy what the French call le pont – an eight-day break from the office.
Even so, France doesn’t top the European league for national holidays. Belgium has 12 non-working days, while Austria goes one further with 13. Outside of the continent, Nepal has the most of any country on earth with 35, although we can probably assume that – as a largely developing economy – these days off aren’t honoured across the whole private sector.
What are the most exciting bank holidays across the world? Close to home, the Dutch celebration of King’s Day – April 27 – has become one of the more vibrant holidays on the continent, with orange-clad street parties and a decent share of debauchery. It’s also a big enough tradition that you can usually spot a cluster of Netherlanders celebrating it in central London.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of weird ones around the world. In March (the exact date depends on the Persian calendar) Iran has a national holiday commemorating the nationalisation of its oil industry. Iraq and Venezuela also have days dedicated to their respective oil industries, while Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan celebrate “oil workers”.
Away from petrochemicals, Ghana celebrates its national Cocoa Day on December 13. A number of European countries have days dedicated to favourite crops, dishes or drinks – such as Beer Day in Iceland, Sardine Day in Portugal, and Mustard Day in France – but none of these are full public holidays in the same way that Bastille Day is, for instance.
Some national days have become tourist staples in their own right. Carnaval has become famous across Brazil, although nowhere more so than Rio De Janeiro, which draws 1.5 million visitors each year. Other big ones include Songkran, the giant aquatic celebration and water-fight held across Thailand from April 13, and Mardi Gras in both New Orleans and nearby Mobile (Alabama).
For regular travellers, stumbling across a local celebration can be an unexpected joy. When I visited Albuquerque in beautiful New Mexico a few years ago, I was completely oblivious to the fact that I’d be there for the Mexican-American celebration of Cinco De Mayo, when thousands of people parade their souped-up muscle cars through town in a celebration of cholo culture.
While it may have looked like something from a hip hop video, it was much more family friendly than you might think – and definitely made the trip more interesting. That said, I’d probably swap it for my friend’s even more serendipitous experience, when he happened to be working in Riyadh when Saudi Arabia defeated Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, immediately triggering street celebrations and an impromptu national holiday.
For understandable reasons, though, some national days can actually be an obstacle to travel. Each year on Yom Kippur – the Jewish day of atonement and remembrance, which usually falls in October – much of Israel comes to a complete standstill, including the grounding of all flights from Ben Gurion Airport.
It’s a similar vibe in Bali on Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence in March, where the entire island undergoes a period of self-reflection and meditation. Not only is the airport closed for 24 hours, but many of the street-lights across Bali are turned off or dimmed – creating a deeply surreal atmosphere for those who happen to be there.
A far cry, then, from the typical British bank holiday, usually regarded – at best – as a chance to enjoy a lazy lunch and a long weekend. But while it may sound a little twee to say it, sometimes even the most mundane of days can be exactly what we need when it comes to a bit of self-actualisation.
In that case, perhaps we should be less hasty to judge the French if they do decide to down tools in order to save their bank holiday. Heck, perhaps we should even thank them.
