Public holidays in Haiti

The following are public holidays in Haiti. ^[1] Many Vodou holidays are also celebrated, but are not considered public holidays.

The two most important holidays for Haitian Americans are Haitian Independence Day and Haitian Flag Day. ^[2]

Date	English name	Local name (in French)	Remarks
1 January	New Year's Day and Independence Day	Nouvel an / Jour de l'an / Premier de l'a et Jour de l'Indépendance	Commemorates the day in 1804 when Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared independence and restored the country's native name.
2 January	Ancestry Day	Jour des Aieux	Commemorates Ancestry and other loved ones who have died fighting for freedom.
6 January	Epiphany	Le Jour des Rois	Celebrates the Three Wise Men's visit to see the newborn Christ.
12 January	Remembrance Day	Jour De Remembrance	Celebrates the victims of the January 2010 earthquakes.
moveable	Carnival/Mardi Gras	Carnaval/Mardi Gras
1 May	Labour and Agriculture Day	Fête du Travail / Fête des Travailleurs	International holiday
18 May	Flag Day and Universities Day	Jour du Drapeau et de l'Université	Celebrates its educational system and commemorates the creation of the flag at the 1803 Arcahaye Conference.
15 August	Assumption of Mary	L'Assomption de Marie	Roman Catholic holiday
20 September	Dessalines' Day	Jour de Dessalines	Commemorates the birth of Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
17 October	Dessalines Day [3]	Anniversaire de la mort de Dessalines	Commemorates the death of Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
1 November	All Saints Day	La Toussaint	Roman Catholic holiday; commemorates the sainthood.
2 November	All Souls' Day	Jour des Morts	Roman Catholic holiday; commemorates the faithful departed.
18 November	Battle of Vertières Day	Vertières	Commemorates the victory over the French in the Armed Forces Day in the year 1803. [4]
5 December	Discovery Day	Découverte d'Haïti	Commemorates Christopher Columbus' landing on Hispaniola in 1492.
25 December	Christmas	Noël	Celebrates the nativity of Jesus.

In addition, the following Christian holidays are celebrated; their dates vary according to the date of Easter each year.

Date	Name	Local name (in French)	Remarks
moveable	Ash Wednesday	Mercredi Des Cendres
moveable	Maundy Thursday	Jeudi saint
moveable	Good Friday	Vendredi saint
moveable	Easter Sunday	Pâques
moveable	Ascension Day	Ascension	Thursday, 40th day after Easter Sunday
moveable	Corpus Christi	Fête-Dieu

References

1. "Republic of Haiti: National Holidays". United Haitians Home Page. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
2. ""Haitian Immigrants" In Multicultural America: An Encyclopedia of the Newest Americans. Edited by Ronald H. Bayor. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishers. Pp. 887–932" . Retrieved 28 September 2015.
3. Gaffield, Julia (16 October 2015). "Julia Gaffield: Dessalines Day, October 17". University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
4. "Origins of the Haitian Flag". Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.