This is a list of generic types of observances, namely holidays and observances with similar names in different countries that do not necessarily commemorate the same thing or are observed on the same day in the same way.
One popular example is that of Independence Day, which is observed by many countries on different days of the year in commemoration of different events from one another.
Observance | Description | Observing countries/groups |
---|---|---|
Administrative Professionals Day (also known as Administrator's Day, Secretaries Day or Admin Day) | Recognizes the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals. [1] |
|
Arbor Day (also known as Tree Planting Day) | A day where individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. |
|
Bird Day | Commemorative date celebrating birds and their conservation. |
|
Children's Day | Commemorative date celebrated in honor of children. |
|
Discovery Day | A date commemorating the discovery of land, gold, and other significant national discoveries. | |
Engineer's Day | Commemorative date celebrating engineers. |
|
Father's Day | A date commemorating fathers and fatherhood. | |
Food Day | A date celebrating a particular food. |
|
Friendship Day (also known as Friend's Day) | A day celebrating friendship. |
|
Heritage Day | A day commemorating national, regional, or cultural heritage, or particular aspects thereof, |
|
Indian Arrival Day | Commemorating the arrival of people from the Indian subcontinent to their respective nations as indentured labourers brought by European colonial authorities and their agents. | |
Inventor's Day | A day recognizing the contributions of certain inventors. | |
Labour Day | Celebrating the achievements of workers. | |
Maritime Day | ||
Mother's Day | A date commemorating mothers and motherhood. | |
Movable feast | ||
National Grandparents Day | ||
National Sports Day | ||
New Year | A date marking the beginning of a calendar year, typically categorized between lunar or lunisolar new years and solar new years. |
|
Parents' Day | ||
Public holiday | ||
King's/Queen's Official Birthday | The selected day in most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those countries. It does not necessarily correspond to the date of the monarch's actual birth. | |
Ratification Day | ||
Spring break | Recess in early spring at universities and schools. | |
Spring Day | ||
Teachers' Day | ||
Thanksgiving | ||
Youth Day |
Air Force Day | A day honouring countries' respective air forces. | |
Armed Forces Day (also known as Defenders Day) | A day honouring countries' respective military forces. Some countries commemorate different days for the individual branches of their armed forces (army, navy, air force, etc.). (Not to be confused with Veterans/Armistice Day.) |
|
Army Day | Commemorative date honouring a country's army. | |
Constitution Day | Holiday honoring a country's constitution. | |
Dominion Day | A former holiday commemorating the granting of certain countries Dominion status in the British Empire. | Formerly celebrated in the two countries that received "Dominion" status: the Dominion of Canada (in French as Fête du Dominion), and Dominion of New Zealand. |
Flag Day | A date celebrating a historical flag-related event, such as the adoption of a country's flag. | |
Heroes' Day | A date commemorating a national hero or heroes. | |
Martyrs' Day | ||
Navy Day | Commemorative date honouring a country's navy. | |
Remembrance Day (also known as Veterans Day; formerly Armistice Day) | ||
Victory Day |
The meaning of an Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Independence Day, and Liberation Day can vary, but in general they are celebrated in various countries in commemoration of a historical event where a nation, state, or group of people achieved sovereignty, freedom, or some other form of independence (such as from military occupation or imprisonment).
Along with Independence Day, a Foundation Day and Republic Day commemorate the establishment of a nation or state.
Emancipation Day | Holiday to celebrate emancipation of enslaved people, particularly those of African descent. |
|
Independence Day | A date commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood. | |
Liberation Day | A date commemorating the liberation of a place. Similar to an independence day, liberation days differ in that they typically mark either a revolution, the fall of a dictatorship, or the end of an occupation by another state, thereby differing from original independence day or creation of statehood. |
|
National Day | A day commemorating the statehood or nationhood of a state or its people. It may be the date of independence, of becoming a republic, of becoming a federation, or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler. | |
Revolution Day | Commemorating an important event in a country's history, usually the beginning or turning point in a revolution that led to significant political change. | |
Foundation Day | A date celebrating the founding of a nation, state or a creation of a military unit. | |
Republic Day |
In the United States, there are:
Various countries and communities celebrate a National Unity Day, Union Day, or Unification Day.
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days.
Arbor Day is a secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, depending on climate and suitable planting season.
December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the last of seven months to have a length of 31 days.
January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere, January is the seasonal equivalent of July in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa.
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the most daylight hours, and the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours. June in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to December in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In the Northern Hemisphere, the beginning of the traditional astronomical summer is 21 June. In the Southern Hemisphere, meteorological winter begins on 1 June.
July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the fourth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before then it was called Quintilis, being the fifth month of the calendar that started with March.
May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days.
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus c. 750 BC, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the Romans. In Ancient Rome, one of three Mundus patet would take place on October 5, Meditrinalia October 11, Augustalia on October 12, October Horse on October 15, and Armilustrium on October 19. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar. Among the Anglo-Saxons, it was known as Winterfylleth (Ƿinterfylleþ), because at this full moon, winter was supposed to begin.
September is the ninth month of the year in both the Gregorian calendar and the less commonly used Julian calendar. In modern day, September has 30 days. September in the Northern Hemisphere and March in the Southern Hemisphere are seasonally equivalent.
Fiestas Patrias in Mexico originated in the 19th century and are observed today as five public holidays.
National Youth Day is a holiday dedicated to the youths of a country. It is observed by 18 countries, on many dates throughout the year. The United Nations agreed on the date of 12 August in 1999 in South Africa.
Europe Day is a day celebrating "peace and unity in Europe" celebrated on 5 May by the Council of Europe and on 9 May by the European Union.
Public holidays in the Philippines are of two types: regular holidays and special non-working days.
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy.
Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day.
The following are the national public holidays and other observances of Argentina.
Public holidays in Italy are established by the Italian parliament and, with the exception of city or community patronal days, apply nationwide. These include a mix of national, religious and local observances. As for Whit Monday, there is an exception for South Tyrol. In Italy there are also State commemoration days, which are not public holidays.
Freedom Day may refer to any of the following days:
Friendship Day is a day in several countries for celebrating friendship. It was initially promoted by the greeting card industry; evidence from social networking sites shows a revival of interest in Friendship Day that may have grown with the spread of the internet, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Mobile phones, digital communication, and social media have contributed to popularize the custom. Those who promote the day in South Asia attribute the tradition of dedicating a day in honour of friends to have originated in the United States in 1935.
The Unification Act was an agreement signed on 22 January 1919, by the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republic on the St Sophia Square in Kyiv. Since 1999 the Day of Unity of Ukraine, celebrated every year on 22 January to mark the signing of the treaty, is a state holiday; but not a public holiday.
In India the Friendship Day will be celebrated on August 7, 2011.