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Sri Lankan Public Holidays 2022

Find out when public holidays in Sri Lanka are held so you can better plan your Sri Lankan holiday.

While religious festivals make the majority of the holidays in Sri Lanka, significance is given to Full moon poya days during which the sale of alcoholic beverages, meats and fish is prohibited. Some shops and businesses are also closed on poya days while the New Year festival in mid-April and the two day long holiday for Vesak in May see a general pause in government, mercantile and banking sectors, when the country takes time off to celebrate or to catch a breath.

Month

Weekday

Date

Holiday name

January

Friday

14

Tamil Thai Pongal Day 

January

Monday

17

Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day

February

Friday

04

National Day 
(Sri Lanka's Independence Day is celebrated on 4th of February and commemorates the independence from Colonial British rule in 1948)

February

Wednesday

16

Navam Full Moon Poya Day (Navam Full Moon Poya Day - The Navam full moon Poya day celebrates the appinment of Buddha’s two chief disciples and the first-ever Buddhist Council held after the passing away of Lord Buddha)

March

Tuesday

1

Mahasivarathri Day

March

Thursday

17

Madin Full Moon Poya Day 
(Celebration of Lord Buddha’s visit to his hometown Kapilavastu)

April

Wednesday

13

Day Prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day

April

Thursday

14

Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day 
(A local harvest festival and the beginning of traditional New Year, which carries a close resemblance to many New Year festivals found in the region)

April

Friday

15

Good Friday (Good Friday- is a religious Holiday commemorated by the Christian community in Sri Lanka commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary)

April

Saturday

16

Bak Full Moon Poya Day 
(Bak Full moon Poya Day celebrates Lord Buddha’s second visit to Sri Lanka to make peace between two warring local chiefs, who were also uncle and nephew)

May

Sunday

01

May day 
(The International Workers’ Day is celebrated with marches and public meeting all over Sri Lanka)

May

Tuesday

03

Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramazan Festival Day) 
(The festival of breaking the fast is an Islamic religious festival celebrating the end of the 29 -30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan)

May

Sunday

15

Vesak Full Moon Poya Day 
(Commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Gautama Buddha and is celebrated in its full glory in Sri Lanka)

May

Monday

16

Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Holiday Day 
(Commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Gautama Buddha and is celebrated in its full glory in Sri Lanka)

June

Tuesday

14

Poson Full Moon Poya Day 
(Commemorates the arrival of Buddhism to Sri Lanka from India and is celebrated as widely and as grandly as Vesak itself)

July

Sunday

10

Id-Ul-Alha(Hadji Festival Day) (Adha is a three day global Islamic festival and is part of the Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca

July

Wednesday

13

Esala Full Moon Poya Day 
(Celebrates the delivery of Lord Buddha’s first discourse 'Dhammacakkappavattana Sutra' to five disciples at the deer park of Isipathana and commencement of Vas or Rainy Season retreat for Bikkhus)

August

Thursday

11

Nikini Full Moon Poya Day 
(The historic Kandy Esala Perahara ends on this day while Seruwila Raja Maha Viharaya and Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara annual Perahera are held during the month of Nikini)

September

Saturday

10

Binara Full Moon Poya Day 
(The Buddhist Bikkhuni Order was established on a Binara Full moon Poya day)

October

Sunday

9

Milad-Un-Nabi (Holy Prophet's Birthday.'Mawlid' is Celebrated by Muslims during the month of Rabiulawal, the third month of the Muslim calendar.)

October

Sunday

9

Vap Full Moon Poya Day(Marks Buddha's preaching of Abhidamma to the gods in Tavatimsa and the end of the Buddhist period of fasting)

October

Monday

24

Deepavali Festival Day(Diwali marks the return of Lord Rama, who was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, from a fourteen year exile.)

November

Monday

7

Ill Full Moon Poya Day(Commemorates Buddha's ordination of sixty disciples as the first missionaries)

December

Wednesday

7

Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day(Celebrates the arrival of the Bo tree sapling in Anuradhapura, brought by Ashoka's daughter, Sangamitta)

December

Sunday

25

Christmas Day(Christmas Day celebrates the Nativity of Jesus.On this day, over 2 billion people (over a third of the world's population) will celebrate the birth of Christ.)



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