Canada

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar used in Canada and many other countries.

Epiphany

Many people in Canada annually observe Epiphany, or Three Kings’ Day, on January 6. It is a Christian observance.

Orthodox Christmas Day

Many Orthodox Christian churches in countries such as Canada observe Christmas Day on or near January 7 in the Gregorian calendar.

Orthodox New Year

Many Orthodox Christian churches in countries such as Canada celebrate New Year’s Day on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar.

Isra and Mi'raj

Isra and Mi'raj (Isra Me'raj, Israa and Mi'raaj, Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj, Lailat al Miraj, Night Journey and Ascension to Heaven) marks the night when the Prophet Mohammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem, ascended to heaven and returned.

Tu B'Shevat (Arbor Day)

Tu B’Shevat is known as the “New Year for Trees”, is a Jewish festival that marks the start of a new cycle for the tithe on fruit trees.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is celebrated in Canada on February 2 each year.

Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day, people pronounce or re-affirm their feelings of romantic love for someone, often by sending cards or giving gifts.

National Flag of Canada Day

Flag Day in Canada commemorates the inauguration of the Canadian national flag, which features a red maple leaf on a red and white background.

Louis Riel Day

Louis Riel Day celebrates the achievements and life of Louis Riel, a Canadian politician who was a leader of the Métis people.

Nova Scotia Heritage Day

Nova Scotia Heritage Day is a day off for Canadians in Nova Scotia. It aims to recognize cultural or historical contributions to the province.

Islander Day

Islander Day is a day off for many people in the province of Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Family Day

Family Day is a public holiday in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and New Brunswick.

Carnival / Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. It may coincide with the winter carnival season in Canada.

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year marks the first day of the New Year in the Chinese calendar.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent in for many Christians in Canada.

Ramadan Start

Many Muslims in Canada welcome Ramadan as period of fasting, self-evaluation and spiritual growth. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar.

Yukon Heritage Day

National Heritage Day, also known as Heritage Day, is usually celebrated in the Yukon in Canada on the last Friday of February.

St David's Day

Many Welsh communities in Canada annually celebrate the life St David, who is Wales’ patron saint, on St David’s Day on March 1.

Purim

Purim commemorates a time when Jewish people were saved from death around the fourth century BCE, according to the Book of Esther.

Daylight Saving Time starts

Daylight Saving Time starts in Canada

Commonwealth Day

The Commonwealth of Nations, which includes Canada, is commemorated on Commonwealth Day.

Lailat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr is most likely to be held on one of the last 10 days of month of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar.

St. Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Day commemorates the life and work of St Patrick, a Christian missionary who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries.

St. Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Day commemorates the life and work of St Patrick, a Christian missionary who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries.

Eid ul Fitr

Eid al-Fitr is a holiday to mark the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast during the hours of daylight.

March Equinox

March Equinox in Canada (Ottawa)

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday in Canada celebrates Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. It is also the Sunday before Easter Sunday.

Maundy Thursday

Many Christians in the Canada celebrate Maundy Thursday on the Thursday before Good Friday.

First day of Passover

Passover marks the Israelites' liberation from slavery and their exodus from Egypt around 3000 years ago.

Good Friday

On Good Friday, Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and it is a statutory holiday in many parts of Canada.

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is the day before Easter Sunday in Canada.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is the most important day in the Christian church calendar in Canada. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion, according to Christian belief.

Easter Monday

Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and a holiday for many Canadians.

Tartan Day

Tartan Day is a special day for Canadians to celebrate their national, provincial, territorial or personal tartans.

Last day of Passover

The last day of Passover marks the end of the Passover period, which lasts for seven or eight days.

Vimy Ridge Day

Vimy Ridge Day commemorates the Canadian soldier’s battle and victory at Vimy Ridge in France during the First World War.

Orthodox Good Friday

Many Orthodox Christians in Canada remember the events leading up to Jesus Christ's crucifixion on Great Friday.

Orthodox Holy Saturday

Many Orthodox Christians in Canada remember Jesus Christ’s burial and his descent into Hades on Holy Saturday.

Orthodox Easter

Orthodox Christians in Canada celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, also known as Pascha.

Orthodox Easter Monday

Many Orthodox churches in Canada observe Easter Monday on the day after the Orthodox Easter Sunday date.

Yom HaShoah

Yom Hashoah commemorates the lives of about six million Jewish people who died during World War II. This observance is annually held on the 27th day of the month of Nisan.

St. George's Day

St George’s Day is a holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Yom HaAtzmaut

Many Jewish communities in Canada celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut, which is Israel’s Independence Day, on the fifth day of the month of Iyar in the Jewish calendar.

Lag B'Omer

Many Jewish people in Canada observe Lag B’Omer on the 18th day of the month of Iyar in the Jewish calendar.

Mothers' Day

Mother’s Day is celebrated in Canada on the second Sunday of May each year.

Ascension Day

Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter and commemorates Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven, according to Christian belief.

National Patriots' Day

National Patriots’ Day is an annual holiday in Québec, Canada, on the Monday before May 25.

Victoria Day

Victoria Day is celebrated in honor of the birthdays of both Queen Victoria and the current monarch of Canada.

Shavuot

Shavuot, also known as the Festival of Weeks, is one of three major Jewish festivals celebrated among many Jewish Canadians.

Pentecost

Many Christians in Canada observe Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday or Whit Sunday.

Whit Monday

Whit Monday is a Christian observance also known as Pentecost Monday. It is the day after Pentecost, or Whitsunday.

Eid al-Adha

Many Muslims in Canada celebrate Eid al-Adha around the 10th to the 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost and is celebrated by many Christians in Canada.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a Christian observance that honors the Holy Eucharist.

Muharram/Islamic New Year

The first day of Muharram, which is the first month in the Islamic calendar, marks the start of the Islamic New Year.

Fathers' Day

Father’s Day celebrates the contribution that fathers and father figures make to their children’s lives.

National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates Canada’s Indigenous culture and the achievements made by the country’s indigenous peoples.

June Solstice

June Solstice in Canada (Ottawa)

June Holiday

Newfoundland and Labrador’s June holiday commemorates John Cabot’s arrival at the province on June 24, 1497.

St. Jean Baptiste Day

Saint Jean Baptiste Day (Fête nationale du Québec, Quebec National Holiday, la Saint-Jean, St. John the Baptist Day) is the national holiday of the Canadian province of Quebec.

Ashura

Ashura is a Muslim in Canada

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is observed in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on July 1 each year.

Canada Day

Canada Day is a federal holiday on July 1 to mark the anniversary of the date that Canada became a self-governing country.

Nunavut Day

Nunavut Day is an annual holiday in Canada's Nunavut Territory.

Orangemen's Day

Orangemen's Day is a provincial holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. It commemorates the Battle of the Boyne, which took place in 1690 outside Drogheda, now in the Republic of Ireland.

Tisha B'Av

Tisha B’Av is on the ninth day of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar.

Civic/Provincial Day

Many Canadian provinces and territories have a civic holiday to celebrate some aspect of their culture or history on the first Monday of August.

Saskatchewan Day

Saskatchewan Day is a local holiday in Canada

Terry Fox Day

Terry Fox Day is a local observance in Canada

New Brunswick Day

New Brunswick Day is an opportunity for Canadians from the province of New Brunswick to celebrate their history and culture. It is celebrated on the first Monday of August.

British Columbia Day

British Columbia Day is a statutory holiday in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Natal Day

Natal Day is a civic holiday to celebrate the “birthday” of the Nova Scotia province. It is held on the first Monday of August.

Heritage Day

Heritage Day is celebrated in Alberta on the first Monday of August. Although it is not a statutory holiday, it may used as an optional holiday to celebrate Canadian heritage in the province.

The Royal St John's Regatta (Regatta Day)

Regatta Day is on the first Wednesday of August and it is a local holiday in the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador.

Assumption of Mary

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary in Canada is observed as a Holy Day of Obligation - a day when some Christian denominations are obliged to attend mass, on August 15 each year.

Discovery Day

Discovery Day is a public holiday in the Canadian territory of Yukon on the third Monday of August. It commemorates the anniversary of the discovery of gold in Bonanza Creek in the 19th century.

Gold Cup Parade

The Gold Cup Parade is Atlantic Canada’s largest parade and the largest parade east of Montreal. It is held annually in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada on the third Friday of August.

Milad un Nabi (Mawlid)

Eid Milad ul-Nabi marks the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birth and death.

Labour Day

Labour Day in Canada is a holiday to campaign for workers' rights. It celebrates the achievements of these rights.

Rosh Hashana

Rosh Hashana, also spelled Rosh Hashanah, is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. The event begins on the first day of Tishrei (or Tishri), which is the seventh month in the Jewish calendar.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is an important Jewish holiday that falls on the 10th day of the month of Tishrei in the Jewish calendar.

September Equinox

September Equinox in Canada (Ottawa)

First day of Sukkot

The first day of Sukkot marks the start of the Sukkot festival for Jewish communities in many countries, including Canada.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal employees holiday in Canada

Hoshana Rabbah

Many Jewish communities in countries such as Canada observe the last day of Sukkot, which marks the end of the Sukkot festival.

Shemini Atzeret

Shemini Atzeret (or Shmini Atzeret) is a Jewish holiday dedicated to the love of God, while Simchat Torah (Simchas Torah or Simhat Torah) marks the end of Sukkot and celebrates the completion of the annual reading of the Torah.

Feast of St Francis of Assisi

Many churches in Canada celebrate the Feast of St Francis of Assisi to honor St Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment, on October 4 each year.

Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah (Simchas Torah or Simhat Torah) is a Jewish holiday that marks the end of Sukkot and celebrates the completion of the annual reading of the Torah.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday to give thanks for the blessings in one's life, particularly the harvest. It is a day off work for many Canadians.

Healthcare Aide Day

Healthcare Aide Day is a local observance in Canada

Halloween

Halloween in Canada stems from Celtic origins and marks a time when people believed spirits and the dead crossed over into the world of the living for one night.

All Saints' Day

Many churches honor all their saints on All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day.

Daylight Saving Time ends

Daylight Saving Time ends in Canada

All Souls' Day

All Souls’ Day falls on November 2 each year. It is a day of alms giving and prayers for the dead.

National Aboriginal Veterans Day

National Aboriginal Veterans Day is a observance in Canada

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day commemorates civilians and military personnel who lost their lives in armed conflicts.

First Sunday of Advent

Many Christians in Canada celebrate the first Sunday of Advent in the lead up to Christmas.

First Day of Hanukkah

The first day of Hanukkah is the start of the Hanukkah period, which lasts for 8 days, from the 25th day of the month of Kislev to the second day of Tevet in the Hebrew calendar.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a Christian observance on December 8 each year.

Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster

The Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster is annually held in Canada on December 11.

Last day of Hanukkah

The last day of Hanukkah marks the end of the festive Jewish occasion known as Hanukkah, or Chanukah.

December Solstice

December Solstice in Canada (Ottawa)

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve in Canada is the day before Christmas Day and always falls on December 24 according to the Gregorian calendar.

Christmas Day

Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in Canada.

Kwanzaa (first day)

Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday honoring the culture and traditions of African people and their descendants worldwide.

Boxing Day

The day after Christmas Day is known as Boxing Day and is a holiday in many parts of Canada.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is the last day of the year and the day before New Year's Day. New Year's Eve in Canada always falls on December 31 according to the Gregorian calendar.