Public holidays in Asia and the Pacific
Three different calendars set the major holidays in this group, and none of them is the Gregorian one. Lunar New Year governs the biggest break of the year in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. India's national holidays sit on a Hindu lunisolar calendar for Diwali and Holi, an Islamic one for Eid, and a Gregorian one for the three national days. Nepal uses the Bikram Sambat calendar, in which the year does not begin in January at all.
Three different calendars set the major holidays in this group, and none of them is the Gregorian one. Lunar New Year governs the biggest break of the year in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. India's national holidays sit on a Hindu lunisolar calendar for Diwali and Holi, an Islamic one for Eid, and a Gregorian one for the three national days. Nepal uses the Bikram Sambat calendar, in which the year does not begin in January at all.
The second theme is that the biggest countries here do not have a single national list. India's holidays are largely determined state by state, and Australia's are set by each state and territory.
How many public holidays each country has in 2026
The 16 countries in Asia and the Pacific hold between 7 and 32 nationwide public holidays in 2026. The median for the group is 17, above the median of 13 across all 100 countries we track. Nepal has the most at 32; Australia has the fewest at 7.
Across 14 of the 16 countries in the group, 80 named holidays are set by a calendar other than the Gregorian one. We can tell because they land on a different day in 2027: Nepal has the most, at 16. A further 7 dates in 4 of these countries follow the Islamic calendar and are marked estimated, because the official day is confirmed only when the new moon is sighted and can move by one either way.
Nationwide public holidays in 2026, ranked. “On a weekday” counts those falling Monday to Friday. “Holidays that move” counts named holidays that fall on a different day in 2027 because another calendar sets them; a festival running several days counts once. Each row links the country's holiday page, its guide and the five cities we cover.
What differs across this group
Lunar New Year. Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea each give several consecutive days for it, dated by the lunisolar calendar, which moves it between late January and late February. In South Korea it is Seollal; the autumn harvest festival Chuseok is a second multi-day lunar holiday.
India — three calendars and 28 states. Only three holidays are gazetted nationally: Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. Everything else is set by state government and by a restricted-holiday system that lets employees choose from a list. Diwali, Holi, Eid and Guru Nanak Jayanti all move against the Gregorian calendar because they are set by lunar or lunisolar reckoning.
Australia — no national list. Each state and territory legislates its own public holidays. Only a subset is common to all of them, and even a shared holiday can be observed on different dates. The Melbourne Cup is a public holiday in metropolitan Melbourne and nowhere else.
Japan — the Happy Monday system. Several holidays were legislated onto specific Mondays to create three-day weekends, and a holiday falling on a Sunday produces a substitute Monday. Japan also has Golden Week, a cluster of holidays in late April and early May during which the country effectively closes.
Nepal and Sri Lanka. Nepal's official calendar is Bikram Sambat, whose new year falls in April. Sri Lanka observes a Poya day at every full moon, which is a public holiday each month — a structure no other country in our set has.
Common follow-up questions
Which countries celebrate Lunar New Year as a public holiday?
Among the countries we cover: Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, where it is Tet. Each gives several consecutive days and the date moves between late January and late February.
Does India have national public holidays?
Only three are gazetted nationwide: Republic Day on 26 January, Independence Day on 15 August and Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October. The rest are determined at state level, with a further list of restricted holidays that employees select from.
What is Golden Week in Japan?
A run of public holidays at the end of April and start of May that fall close enough together to close much of the country for a week. It is the busiest domestic travel period of the Japanese year.