The following are public holidays in Liberia.[1]
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Public holidays
edit| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | |
| February 11 | Armed Forces Day | Honors the Armed Forces of Liberia[2] |
| Second Wednesday in March | National Decoration Day | Day to decorate the graves of ancestors. |
| March 15 | Joseph Jenkins Roberts Birthday | Birthday of the first president of Liberia.[3] |
| Second Friday in April | Fast and Prayer Day | Established by an act of the national legislature in 1883.[4] |
| May 14 | National Unification Day | Also called “Integration Day,” the purpose is to improve relations between descendants of American slaves and members of the aboriginal population. Established 1960.[5] |
| July 26 | Independence Day | From the American Colonization Society, 1847 |
| August 24 | National Flag Day | The holiday was first observed in an 1847 convention, when the founding fathers approved the flag's design along with establishing the new republic.[6] It was established as a national holiday in 1915.[7] |
| First Thursday in November | Thanksgiving Day | Established in 1883, this is a day for prayer to thank God for being born in a free country.[8][9] |
| November 29 | William V. S. Tubman's Birthday | Birthday of the longest serving President in Liberia |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
Former public holidays
edit| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| December 1 | Matilda Newport Day | Named a holiday by the Legislature of Liberia in 1916. The holiday was abolished in 1980 following the coup by Samuel Doe, due to its divisive nature.[10][11] |
References
edit- ^ "Embassy of Liberia - Home". Liberianembassyus.org. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "Armed Forces Day 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ "Joseph Jenkins Roberts' Birthday 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ "Friday is Fast and Prayer Day". liberianobserver.com. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "National Unification Day 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ "Liberia Flag Day". Encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "Liberia: Flag Day Reflections - All Hail the Lone Star, All Hail!". AllAfrica. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Thanksgiving Day 2020, 2021 and 2022 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ "Ellen declares Thursday, 2 November as National Thanksgiving Day". The New Dawn Liberia. November 1, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ Sheldon, Kathleen (2005). "Newport, Matilda (c. 1795–1837)". Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Scarecrow Press. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-0-8108-6547-1.
- ^ Hochman, Jordana (November 9, 2010). "Liberia Dispatches 2: Matilda Newport". NPR. Retrieved December 2, 2021.