Public holidays in Taiwan explained

The following are considered holidays in Taiwan. Some are official holidays, and some are not:

Table of Taiwan holidays

Public holidays

2024 Gregorian Date(s) ObservedType of calendar followedDate on calendarEnglish NameChinese NameRemarks
January 1Gregorian calendarJanuary 1Founding of the Republic of China (also New Year's Day)中華民國開國紀念日 / 元旦Commemorates the establishment of the Provisional Government in Nanking.
February 9Chinese calendarLast day (29th/30th day) of the 12th monthChinese New Year's Eve農曆除夕Eve of the Chinese New Year.
February 8, 10-14Chinese calendarFirst 3 working days of the 1st monthSpring Festival春節Day of Chinese New Year.
February 28Gregorian calendarFebruary 28Peace Memorial Day228和平紀念日Commemorates the February 28 Incident in 1947.
April 4-7Gregorian calendarApril 4兒童節To make known the human rights of children and to stop the abuse of children.
April 4-7Gregorian calendar15th day after the Spring EquinoxTomb Sweeping Day淸明節To remember and honor ancestors at grave sites
June 10Chinese calendar5th day of the 5th monthDragon Boat Festival端午節Commemorates the death of the patriot Qu Yuan.
September 17Chinese calendar15th day of the 8th monthMid-Autumn Festival中秋節Gathering the family together to celebrate the end of the harvest season
October 10Gregorian calendarOctober 10National Day/Double Tenth Day國慶日 / 雙十節Commemorates the Wuchang Uprising of 1911, which began the Xinhai Revolution that led to the abolition of monarchy and establishment of a republican form of government.

Unofficial holidays

The following holidays are also observed on Taiwan but are not official holidays observed by civil servants of the central government. Some sectors of the workforce may have time off on some of the following holidays, such as Labor Day, Armed Forces Day, and Teachers' Day.

Gregorian calendar
DateEnglish NameLocal NameRemarks
February 3, 4 or 5Farmer's DayChinese: 農民節Lichun, the beginning of spring
March 12Arbor DayChinese: 國父逝世紀念日Sun Yat-sen's passing on 12 March 1925
March 29Youth DayChinese: 靑年節Commemorates revolutionary Tenth Uprising in 1911
April 29, July 30The Emperor's BirthdayChinese: 天長節The birthday of the reigning emperor has been a national holiday in Japan from 1868. Celebrated from 1895 to 1945 when Taiwan was a colony of Japan.
May 1Labor DayChinese: 勞動節
May 4Literary DayChinese: 文藝節Commemorates May Fourth Movement
May (second Sunday)Mother's DayChinese: 母親節Buddha's birthday was changed to fit the date of Mother's Day.
June 3Opium Suppression Movement DayChinese: 禁菸節Commemorates burning of opium in the First Opium War of 1839
August 8Father's DayChinese: 父親節Held on August 8 because the pronunciation of 8 (八; ba) is very close to the Chinese word for “dad” (爸; ba)
September 1Journalist' DayChinese: 記者節Commemorates the promulgation of the Protection of Journalists and Public Opinion Organizations law in 1933[1]
September 3Armed Forces DayChinese: 軍人節Honors the Republic of China Armed Forces, also Victory over Japan Day
September 28Teachers' DayChinese: 孔子誕辰紀念日Confucius' Birthday
October 21Overseas Chinese DayChinese: 華僑節
October 25Taiwan Retrocession DayChinese: 臺灣光復節The Republic of China took control of Japanese Taiwan on 25 October 1945 and claimed that Taiwan had since returned to the Republic of China. However, the said claim is in dispute.
November 12Sun Yat-sen's BirthdayChinese: 國父誕辰紀念日Also Doctors' Day and Cultural Renaissance Day
Winter solsticeDongzhi FestivalChinese: 冬至
December 25Constitution DayChinese: 行憲紀念日Coincides with Christmas, and the anniversary of the 1947 ROC Constitution
Aboriginal FestivalsChinese: 原住民族歲時祭儀Dates to be published by the Council of Indigenous Peoples varies according to tribes
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English NameLocal NameRemarks
15th day of 1st lunar monthLantern FestivalChinese: 元宵節Based on Chinese calendar
15th day of 1st lunar monthTourism DayChinese: 觀光節Based on Chinese calendar
2nd day of 2nd lunar monthEarth God's BirthdayChinese: 土地公誕辰Based on Chinese calendar
19th day of 2nd lunar monthKuan Yin's BirthdayChinese: 觀音誕辰Based on Chinese calendar
15th day of 3rd lunar monthGod of Medicine's BirthdayChinese: 保生大帝誕辰Based on Chinese calendar
23rd day of 3rd lunar monthMatsu's BirthdayChinese: 媽祖誕辰Based on Chinese calendar
8th day of 4th lunar monthBuddha's BirthdayChinese: 佛誕日Based on Chinese calendar
13th day of 5th lunar monthKuan Kung's BirthdayChinese: 關公誕辰Based on Chinese calendar
13th day of 5th lunar monthCheng Huang's BirthdayChinese: 城隍爺誕辰Based on Chinese calendar
7th day of 7th lunar monthQixi FestivalChinese: 七夕Based on Chinese calendar
15th day of 7th lunar monthGhost FestivalChinese: 中元節Based on Chinese calendar
9th day of 9th lunar monthDouble Ninth FestivalChinese: 重陽節Based on Chinese calendar
15th day of 10th lunar monthSaisiat FestivalChinese: 賽夏節 Pas-taai Festival of the Saisiat tribe

Before 1949, a number of public holidays were celebrated by certain ethnic minorities in regions within the ROC, which were decided by local governments and entities. Since 1949, these holidays continued to be celebrated by ethnic groups as such in Taiwan Area only.

Date English name Local nameChinese name Ethnic Groups
1.1 of Tibetan yearLosarལོ་གསར藏曆新年Tibetan community in Taiwan
30.6 of Tibetan calendarSho Dunཞོ་སྟོན།雪頓節Tibetan community in Taiwan
Eid ul-Fitrعيد الفطر開齋節Muslim community in Taiwan, not only Hui people, but also Filipino Muslim, Malay and Indonesian immigrants
Eid al-Adhaعيد الأضحى爾德節Muslim community in Taiwan, not only Hui people, but also Filipino Muslim, Malay and Indonesian immigrants
3rd day of the 3rd Lunisolar month Sam Nyied SamZhuang; Chuang: Sam Nyied SamChinese: 三月三Zhuang community in Taiwan

See also

References

  1. http://100news.udn.com/roc100app/newsEn.jsp?by=G8 A Retrospective of Major News Media Events for the Republic of China’s Centennial

External links