Public holidays in Taiwan
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The following are considered holidays in Taiwan. Some are official holidays, and some are not.
History
In 2016, the Tsai Ing-wen government removed seven public holidays. The holidays were removed due to a political compromise arising from a campaign promise Tsai made while running for president that committed her government to providing two days off per week for all workers.[1]
When implementing the change, the government faced opposition from various interests including businesses, and a compromise was reached to provide two days off per week and remove seven paid public holidays.[1]
The removed public holidays were:
- January 2, the day after New Year's Day
- March 29, Youth Day (commemorating the Huanghuagang Uprising)[2]
- September 3, Armed Forces Day
- September 28, Confucius' Birthday
- October 25, Retrocession Day (commemorating the end of Japanese rule of Taiwan and Penghu and the return of Taiwan to the Republic of China)
- October 31, Chiang Kai-shek's Birthday
- November 12, Sun Yat-sen's Birthday
- December 25, Constitution Day
Attempted reinstatement of removed holidays in 2025
A longstanding[3] political debate over reinstating the removed public holidays was reignited during the second session of the Legislative Yuan in February, 2025. Kuomintang legislators said they would seek to reinstate the holidays by amending labor regulations. The proposal received support from a Taiwan People's Party legislator who said their party would support the change. The Democratic Progressive Party caucus suggested the proposal was populist.[4]
On May 9, 2025, the Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of the Memorial Days and Holidays Implementation Act, upgrading the prior administrative-level regulations to legal status. The reform introduces four new national holidays: Lunar New Year's Eve, Confucius' Birthday (September 28), Taiwan Retrocession and Battle of Guningtou Memorial Day (October 25), and Constitution Day (December 25). Additionally, Labor Day (May 1), previously a holiday only for laborers, is now a national holiday for all citizens. The revised law also guarantees that the Lunar New Year break will span at least seven days, potentially extending to ten. Further adjustments include allowing Indigenous peoples to choose three holidays based on their specific traditional ceremonies. New commemorative days such as Freedom of Speech Day (April 7), Indigenous Resistance Day (June 16), and Human Rights Day (December 10) were also added.[5]
Table of Taiwan holidays
Public holidays
| 2025 Gregorian Date(s) Observed | Type of calendar followed | Date on calendar | English name | Chinese name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Gregorian calendar | January 1 | Founding 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. |
| January 25–27 | Lunisolar calendar | Last day (29th/30th day) of the 12th month | Taiwanese New Year | 農曆除夕 | Eve of the Taiwanese New Year. |
| January 28 - February 2 | Lunisolar calendar | First 3 working days of the 1st month | Taiwanese New Year | 農曆新年/過年 | Day of Taiwanese New Year. |
| February 28 - March 1 | Gregorian calendar | February 28 | Peace Memorial Day | 228和平紀念日 | Commemorates the February 28 Incident in 1947. |
| April 3 - April 6 | Gregorian calendar | April 4 | Children's Day | 兒童節 | To make known the human rights of children and to stop the abuse of children. |
| April 3 - April 6 | Gregorian calendar | 15th day after the Spring Equinox | Tomb Sweeping Day | 淸明節 | To remember and honour ancestors at grave sites |
| May 1 | Gregorian calendar | May 1 | Labor Day (May Day) | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Nationwide public holiday, applicable to all sectors, including public sector employees. |
| May 30 - June 1 | Lunisolar calendar | 5th day of the 5th month | Dragon Boat Festival | 端午節 | Commemorates the death of the patriot Qu Yuan. |
| September 28 | Gregorian calendar | September 28 | Confucius' Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Teachers' Day |
| October 4–6 | Lunisolar calendar | 15th day of the 8th month | Mid-Autumn Festival | 中秋節 | Gathering the family together to celebrate the end of the harvest season |
| October 10–12 | Gregorian calendar | October 10 | National 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. |
| October 25 | Gregorian calendar | October 25 | Retrocession Day and Memorial of the Victory of Guningtou, Kinmen | Script error: No such module "Lang". | The Republic of China resumed sovereignty over Taiwan on 25 October 1945 and claimed that Taiwan had since returned to the Republic of China. However, the said claim is in dispute. The day also coincides with the first day of Victory of Guningtou, Quemoy in 1949, which the Nationalist forces fought against the PLA from taking control of Quemoy. |
| December 25 | Gregorian calendar | December 25 | Constitution Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Coincides with Christmas, and the anniversary of the 1947 ROC Constitution |
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.
| Date | English name | Local name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 4 | Farmer's Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Lichun, the beginning of spring |
| March 12 | Arbor Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Sun Yat-sen's passing on 12 March 1925 |
| March 29 | Youth Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Commemorates revolutionary Tenth Uprising in 1911 |
| May 4 | Literary Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Commemorates May Fourth Movement |
| May (second Sunday) | Mother's Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Buddha's Birthday was changed to fit the date of Mother's Day.[6][7] |
| June 3 | Opium Suppression Movement Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Commemorates burning of opium in the First Opium War of 1839 |
| August 1 | Indigenous Peoples’ Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | On July 31, 2005, the Council of Indigenous Peoples hosted its inaugural ceremony for the rectification of the name ‘indigenous peoples.’ President Chen Shui-bien spoke at the event and declared August 1 to be Indigenous Peoples' Day. In 2016, the administration under President Tsai Ing-wen approved a proposal that designated 1 August as Indigenous Peoples' Day in Taiwan. |
| August 8 | Father's Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Held on August 8 because the pronunciation of 8 (八; ba) is very close to the Chinese word for “dad” (爸; ba) |
| September 1 | Journalists' Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Commemorates the promulgation of the Protection of Journalists and Public Opinion Organizations law in 1933[8] |
| September 3 | Armed Forces Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Honors the Republic of China Armed Forces, also Victory over Japan Day |
| October 21 | Overseas Chinese Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | |
| November 12 | Sun Yat-sen's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Also Doctors' Day and Cultural Renaissance Day |
| Winter solstice | Dongzhi Festival | Script error: No such module "Lang". | |
| Aboriginal Festivals | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Dates to be published by the Council of Indigenous Peoples varies according to tribes |
| Date | English name | Local name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15th day of 1st lunar month | Lantern Festival | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 1st lunar month | Tourism Day | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 2nd day of 2nd lunar month | Earth God's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 19th day of 2nd lunar month | Kuan Yin's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 3rd lunar month | God of Medicine's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 23rd day of 3rd lunar month | Matsu's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 8th day of 4th lunar month | Buddha's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 13th day of 5th lunar month | Kuan Kung's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 13th day of 5th lunar month | Cheng Huang's Birthday | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 7th day of 7th lunar month | Qixi Festival | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 7th lunar month | Ghost Festival | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 9th day of 9th lunar month | Double Ninth Festival | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 10th lunar month | Saisiat Festival | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Pas-ta'ai 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 name | Chinese name | Ethnic Groups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 of Tibetan calendar | Losar | ལོ་གསར | 藏曆新年 | Tibetan community in Taiwan |
| 30.6 of Tibetan calendar | Sho Dun | ཞོ་སྟོན། | 雪頓節 | Tibetan community in Taiwan |
| 1.9 of Islamic calendar | Eid ul-Fitr | عيد الفطر | 開齋節 | Muslim community in Taiwan, not only Hui people, but also Filipino Muslim, Malay and Indonesian immigrants |
| 10.12 of Islamic calendar | Eid al-Adha | عيد 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 Sam | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Zhuang community in Taiwan |
See also
References
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- ↑ A Retrospective of Major News Media Events for the Republic of China’s Centennial Template:Webarchive, United Daily News Online
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External links
- Holidays and Festivals in Taiwan
- Official Work Calendar in Taiwan by the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (DGPA)
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