Is Christmas a Public Holiday? Where December 25 Is (and Isn’t) a Day Off
Christmas is a public holiday in most of the world. In our holiday data for 207 countries and territories, December 25 is a nationwide day off in 179 of them in 2026. Most of the rest either celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7 instead, or don’t have Christmas as a public holiday at all, as in Japan, China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Key facts
- Christmas Day 2026 is on Friday, December 25. Follow the live Christmas countdown.
- 179 of 207 countries and territories in our data give December 25 off nationwide.
- At least 15 countries and territories in our data give January 7 off for Orthodox Christmas.
- Belarus, Eritrea and Montenegro give a day off for both Christmases.
Where Christmas is not a public holiday
In our data, December 25 is a normal working day in these countries (or, for some, Christmas is celebrated on a different date):
| Country | Is December 25 a day off? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | No | Christmas is popular but commercial. Many people celebrate with friends, and Christmas Eve is a date night |
| China (mainland) | No | Hong Kong and Macau do have Christmas holidays |
| Thailand, Vietnam | No | Celebrated in shops and cities, but a normal working day |
| Turkey, Iran, Israel | No | Christian communities celebrate, but it isn’t a public holiday |
| Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain | No | Normal working day |
| Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya | No | Normal working day |
| Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Egypt | No, Christmas is January 7 | Orthodox and Coptic churches follow the Julian calendar |
| Armenia | No, Christmas is January 6 | The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates on January 6 |
| Ethiopia | No, Christmas (Genna) is in early January | Ethiopia uses its own calendar |
Some countries outside our data also don’t have a Christmas holiday, including Afghanistan, North Korea, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
Surprising places where Christmas is a day off
Christmas is a public holiday in many countries where most people aren’t Christian:
- India: December 25 is a national gazetted holiday.
- Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh: all give the day off, recognising their Christian minorities.
- South Korea: Christmas is a national holiday, and about a quarter of South Koreans are Christian.
- Pakistan: December 25 is a holiday as Quaid-e-Azam Day, the birthday of the country’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
- Mozambique: December 25 is an official holiday called Family Day.
- Taiwan: December 25 became a day off again in 2025 for the first time in 25 years, as Constitution Day. (Our holiday pages will reflect this as soon as the data is updated.)
- Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories: all have Christmas public holidays.
Who celebrates Christmas on January 7?
Many Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar most of the world uses. Their December 25 lands on our January 7. In our data, January 7 is a nationwide day off in 15 countries and territories in 2027, including Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Egypt, Eritrea and Kosovo.
Ukraine is a recent change. It moved its official Christmas holiday from January 7 to December 25 in 2023.
Countries with two Christmas holidays
Belarus, Eritrea and Montenegro give a day off on both December 25 and January 7, so Catholics and Orthodox Christians can each celebrate.
Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday
In 2026, December 25 is a Friday, so many people get a three-day weekend. In countries with Boxing Day, December 26 falls on a Saturday, and it usually moves to Monday, December 28. That includes the UK, Canada (Ontario and federally regulated workplaces), Australia and New Zealand. Check the dates for your country on our public holidays pages.
In 2027, Christmas Day falls on a Saturday. Here’s which countries move the day off to a weekday.
How we got these numbers
We checked December 25 and January 7 in the holiday data behind our public holidays pages, which covers 207 countries and territories and comes from the open-source date-holidays project. We counted a country if the day is a nationwide public holiday, not a regional, optional or bank-only holiday. We added Taiwan, which restored December 25 as a day off in 2025 after the data was published. The data doesn’t include every country, so we’ve noted some important ones separately.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries celebrate Christmas as a public holiday?
In our data, December 25 is a nationwide day off in 179 of 207 countries and territories. Counting countries that celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7, the number that have some Christmas holiday is even higher.
Is Christmas a holiday in Japan?
No. Christmas is widely celebrated in Japan, with decorations, cakes and fried chicken, but December 25 is a normal working day.
Is Christmas a holiday in China?
Not in mainland China. It is a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau.
Why do some countries celebrate Christmas on January 7?
Their churches follow the older Julian calendar. December 25 in the Julian calendar is January 7 in the Gregorian calendar.
When is Christmas 2027?
Christmas 2027 is on Saturday, December 25, 2027.
Count down to the big day with our live Christmas countdown, or see what time it is for family abroad on the world clock.
