The following are 11 public holidays in Ukraine.

Holidays established by law

During

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

a public holiday is not a non-working day. Hnizdovsky Easter

Before the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...

switched to the Revised Julian calendar in September 2023 all Christian holidays were observed according to the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

, since then Christmas is officially celebrated on 25 December. From 2017 to 2022 Christmas was celebrated in Ukraine on 2 different days, 7 January (the date of the holiday according to the

) and 25 December (the date of the holiday according to the Gregorian and Revised Julian calendars). From 2023 Christmas is only officially celebrated in Ukraine on 25 December. When a public holiday falls on a

weekend The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...

(e.g. Saturday or Sunday), the following working day (e.g. Monday) turns into an official day off too. If only one or only two working days are between a public holiday and another day off then the

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (), commonly referred to as the Government of Ukraine (), is the highest body of state Executive (government), executive power in Ukraine. As the Cabinet of Ministers of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republi ...

usually releases a recommendation to avoid this gap by moving these working days onto a certain Saturday (that is to have uninterrupted vacations, but to compensate this by work on another day which would be a day off). Usually such recommendations only concern those employees whose weekly days off are Saturday and Sunday. The

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

that started on 24 February 2022 led to a reappraisal of the popularity of the public holidays in Ukraine. A March 2024 study by the

Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS; , КМІС) is a Ukrainian organization conducting sociological research in the fields of social and socioeconomic research, marketing research, political research, health studies, and research con ...

found that the popularity of

Independence Day of Ukraine Independence Day of Ukraine (, ) is a public holidays in Ukraine, state holiday in Ukraine, celebrated on 24 August in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, Declaration of Independence of 1991. History When Ukraine was st ...

and

Defenders Day Defenders Day may refer to one of several public holidays: * Defenders Day (Maryland) * Defenders Day (Ukraine) * Defender of the Fatherland Day (Kazakhstan) * Defender of the Motherland Day (Uzbekistan) * Defender of the Fatherland Day (Russia) S ...

had both almost more than doubled (from 37% to 64% and from 29% to 58%) while the popularity of

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

had fallen from being labelled "most beloved" by 49% of respondents in 2017 to 21% in March 2024.

Holidays celebrated by the uniformed organizations

* 26 March –

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

Day * 30 April –

Border Guards A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In diffe ...

Day * 6 May – Day of the

Mechanized Infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps). As defined by the United States Army, me ...

* 18 May – Reservists' Day * 23 May –

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

Birthday, Heroes of Ukraine Day * 4 July – Police Day * 8 July – Air Defence Forces Day * First Sunday in July –

Navy Day Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. By country Argentina The Argentine Navy day is celebrated on May 17, anniversary of the victory achieved in 1814 against the Spanish fleet in the action of 14 ...

;Ukrainian Navy to celebrate its holiday on first Sunday of July – decree
,

Interfax-Ukraine Interfax-Ukraine () is a Ukrainian news agency. Founded in 1992, the company publishes in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German. The company owns a 50-seat press centre. The staff of the agency is 105 people (as of the end of February 2022) ...

(12 June 2015) From 1997 till 2011 this day was celebrated on August 1 * 29 July –

Special Operations Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

Day * 8 August – Signal Corps Day * 7 September –

Military Intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

Forces Day * 9 September –

Armoured Forces Armoured warfare or armored warfare (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war. The premise of armored warfare rests on the abil ...

Day * 14 September – Mobilized Servicemen Day * First Sunday in October – Territorial Defence Forces Day * 29 October – Finance Officers Day * 3 November – Rocket Forces and Artillery Day * 3 November – Corps of Engineers Day * 21 November – Air Assault Forces Day * 6 December –

Armed Forces Day An Armed Forces Day, alongside its Military branch, branch-specific variants often referred to as Army or Soldier's Day, Navy or Sailor's Day, and Air Force or Aviator's Day, is a holiday dedicated to honoring the Military, armed forces, o ...

; festive fireworks and salutes take place in various cities in Ukraine; The holiday was established in 1993 by the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

(Ukraine's national parliament).Ukraine marks Armed Forces Day (Video)

UNIAN The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...

(06 December 2017) * 12 December – Ground Forces Day * 23 December – Operational Servicemen Day

Other national holidays

Fixed date

* 5 January – Anniversary of the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine * 5 January – Epiphany Eve (Second Holy Evening) * 6 January – Epiphany * 7 January – '' Synaxis of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist Saint

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

'' * 20 January – Day of Remembrance of the Ukrainian Defenders of the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport (2014–2015) * 22 January – Ukrainian Unity Day, marking both the 1918 Fourth Universal of the Ukrainian Central Council and the 1919 Unification Act * 2 February –

Candlemas Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday, Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of ...

* 16 February – Day of Unity * 20 February – Day of Remembrance of the Fallen Martyrs of Euromaidan, the Heavenly Hundred Heroes * 21 February – Anniversary of the 2014 victory of the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

* 24 February – Mourning Day of the Beginning of the

(beginning 2022) * 26 February – Day of Resistance to Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol * 19 March –

Saint Joseph's Day Saint Joseph's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is in Western Christianity the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus Christ, celebrated on 19 March. ...

* 25 March –

Feast of the Annunciation The Feast of the Annunciation () commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is celebrated on 25 March; however, if 25 Marc ...

and the Day of the Security Service of Ukraine * 20 April – Earth Day * 7 May – Beginning of the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War and Second World War Remembrance Day (Observance) (beginning 2023–24) * 9 May –

Europe Day Europe Day is a day celebrating "peace and unity in Europe" celebrated on 5 May by the Council of Europe and on 9 May by the European Union. The first recognition of Europe Day was by the Council of Europe, introduced in 1964. The European Uni ...

and Anniversary of the 1920 Kyiv Polish-Ukrainian Victory Parade * 14 May – Memorial Day of the Ukrainian Fallen of the Second World War * 15 May – International Family Day * 24 May – Saints Cyril and Methodius' Day (also Slavonic Literature and Culture Day) * 29 May –

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, is an international day held annually on May 29, to pay tribute to the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of ...

* 22 June – Day of Remembrance and Sorrow (Anniversary of the Beginning of the Second World War in Ukraine and territories of the former Soviet Union) * 23 June – Olympic Day and Day of the Ukrainian Civil Service * 24 June – Kupala Night and the

Nativity of John the Baptist Nativity or The Nativity may refer to: Birth of Jesus Christ * Nativity of Jesus, the Gospel stories of the birth of Jesus Christ * Nativity of Jesus in art, any depiction of the nativity scene ** ''Nativity'' (Barocci), a 1597 painting by Fed ...

* 29 June –

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Chri ...

* 15 July – Day of

Christianization of Kievan Rus' The Christianization of Kievan Rus' was a long and complicated process that took place in several stages. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople told other Christian patriarchs that the Rus' people were converting enthusiastically, but his ...

–Ukraine * 16 July – Anniversary of the

Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine (, ) was adopted on July 16, 1990, by the recently elected parliament of Ukrainian SSR by a vote of 355 for and four against. The document decreed that Ukrainian SSR laws took precedence over the l ...

* 1 August – Honey Feast of the Saviour * 6 August –

Feast of the Transfiguration The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor.' ...

/ Apple Feast of the Saviour * 12 August –

International Youth Day International Youth Day (IYD) is an awareness day designated by the United Nations that takes place on August 12. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth Youth is the time ...

* 15 August – Feast of the Assumption and Dormition of the Mother of God * 16 August – Nut Feast of the Saviour * 23 August – National Flag Day * 29 August – Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of UkraineDay of Remembrance of Ukraine’s Defenders marked today

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine (), or Ukrinform (), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of Ukraine. It was founded in 1918 during the Ukrainian War of IndependenceBattle of Ilovaisk on August 29, 2014) and Beheading of John the Baptist * 31 August – Cincture of the Theotokos * 1 September –

Knowledge Day Knowledge Day (), often simply called 1 September, is the list of holidays, day when the Academic term, school year traditionally starts in Russia and many other former Soviet republics as well as other countries in the former Eastern Bloc (exclu ...

and Eastern Rite Ecclesiastical New Year * 8 September – Feast of the

Nativity of Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern Biblical canon does not record Mary's birth. The ...

* 14 September –

Feast of the Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...

* 17 September – Adoption Day * 30 September – All-Ukrainian Day of Libraries * 1 October – Intercession of the Theotokos, Day of Ukrainian Cossacks, Veterans' Day * 14 October – Anniversary of the Formation of the

Ukrainian Insurgent Army The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan formation founded by the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on 14 October 1942. The UPA launched guerrilla warfare against Nazi Germany, the S ...

* 27 October – Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language * 28 October – Liberation from Fascism Day * 31 October –

Reformation Day Reformation Day is a Protestant Christian religious holiday celebrated on 31 October in remembrance of the onset of the Reformation. According to Philip Melanchthon, 31 October 1517 was the day Martin Luther nailed his '' Ninety-five Theses'' ...

(most Protestant Christian denominations in Ukraine) * 9 November – Day of Ukrainian cultural workers and masters of folk and traditional arts * 13 November – Reformation Day ( Ukrainian Lutheran Church) * 20 November – World Children's Day (since 2025) * 21 November – Feast of the Presentation of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple and Dignity and Freedom Day (the anniversaries of both the first

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

protest day in 2013 and the victory of the 2004

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...

) * 6 December –

Saint Nicholas Day Saint Nicholas Day, also called the "Feast of Saint Nicholas", observed on 6 December (or on its eve on 5 December) in Western Christian countries, and on 19 December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar, is the feast d ...

* 8 December –

Feast of the Immaculate Conception The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. It is one of the most important Marian feasts in the l ...

* 9 December – Feast of the Conception of the Virgin Mary * 24 December –

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

(First Holy Evening), also marked as Day of the

State Emergency Service of Ukraine The State Emergency Service of Ukraine
''Kyiv Post'' (24 De ...

* 26 December –

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

(Synaxis of Mary the Mother of God and Feast of Saint Stephen) * 31 December –

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

and Malanka (Bounteous Evening)

Movable

Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra or Kyievo-Pecherska Lavra (), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic lavra or large monastery of Eastern Christianity that gave its name to the Pecherskyi District where it is located in Kyiv. Sin ...

Caves – second Sunday of Orthodox

Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast (Greek language, Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή, ''Megali Tessarakosti'' or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, ''Megali Nisteia'', meaning "Great 40 Days", and "Great Fast", respectively), is the most impor ...

Earth Hour Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature, World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging the individuals, communities, and businesses to give an hour for Earth, and additionally marked ...

– last Saturday of March (observance) *

Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday, or Thursday of the Lord's Supper, among other names,The day is also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries. is ...

– marked three days before Western Christian and Orthodox Easter *

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

– marked two days before Western Christian and Orthodox Easter *

Holy Saturday Holy Saturday (), also known as Great and Holy Saturday, Low Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, Good Saturday, or Black Saturday, among other names, is t ...

– marked on the Saturday before Western Christian and Orthodox Easter * Bright Monday – Monday after Orthodox Easter Sunday *

Feast of the Ascension The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It ...

– Thursday eight days before Pentecost * Pentecost Sunday in the Gregorian Calendar – 7th Sunday after Easter/Pascha as marked by Catholics and most Protestants *

Whit Monday Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday, also known as Monday of the Holy Spirit, is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a moveable feast in the Christian liturgical calendar. It is moveable because it is determined by the date of Easter. In ...

– Monday after Pentecost *

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

– first Sunday after Pentecost *

Feast of Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi (), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; the feast is observed by the Latin Church, in addition to ...

(Catholic Feast) – Thursday after Trinity Sunday * Vyshyvanka Day – third Thursday of May * Holodomor Memorial Day – fourth Saturday of November

Notes

References

{{Public holidays in Europe

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Holidays A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

Culture of Ukraine *