By DMLF
The House of Peoples’ Representative in its session on June 11/2024 enacted the Proclamation to Determine Public Holidays and Celebration of Public Holiday Proclamation Number 1334/2024.
The Proclamation identifies 12 celebrated public holidays that governmental and non-governmental institutions shall be closed for public services. These public holidays and rest days are salaried days. The celebrated public holidays are classified as National holidays and Religious public holidays. The National Holidays to be celebrated at the national level are: 1/ September 11, New Year(Enkutatash), 2/ March 02, Adwa Victory Day, 3/ May 01, International Workers’ Day; 4/ May 05, Ethiopian Patriots’ Victory Day.
In addition to the above , the celebrated religious public holidays are: 1/September 27, Meskel Holiday; 2/ January 07, Christmas Holiday(save a change of date in a leap year), 3/ January 19, Epiphany; 4/ Good March 02, Adwa Victory Day; Friday; 5/ Easter; 6/ Eid al-Adha; 7/ Mawlid; 8/ Eid al-Fitr.
Other than the celebrated public holidays and religious holidays, there are Memorial Public Holidays. The memorial national holidays will be memorized at the national level whereby governmental and non-governmental institutions shall not be closed on working days. These memorial public holidays include 1/ February 20, Ethiopian Martyrs’ Day and 2/ December 09, Ethiopian National Unity Day (Ethiopian Nations and Nationalities Day).
Ethiopian embassy or consulate abroad will celebrate or memorize the national and religious holidays as per the direction given to it by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, keeping the historic and religious procedures of the holidays.
The Proclamation also provides a celebration procedure for the public holidays, religious holidays and memorial days and the responsible organ for leading those celebrations.
However, essential services for the day-to-day life of the people cannot be interrupted in the name of public holidays. These essential services include water, electric light, telephone service, television, radio, and other similar basic services; hospitals, health centers, clinics, and pharmacies; Services necessary for the peace and security life of the people: such as police, defense force, intelligence, fire control services and other natural and man-made disasters prevention services; public transport services and gas stations; manufacturing industries working with shift programs; hotels, cafes, restaurants, groceries, lodges, pensions, and sanitary services; public recreation centers and parks; libraries and museums; commercial shops and stores; and other works and services to be determined by a directive or a decision of relevant authority.
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