Public holidays in Switzerland

In this article, Holidays in Switzerland are listed.

Overview of the Holidays

National and public holidays

In Switzerland, is set as a holiday for the whole country at the federal level, only the 1st of August. The regulation of all other holidays is solely for the cantons. Due to this fact there except for the National Day celebration only three more days, which are also recognized throughout Switzerland: New Year, driveway and Christmas Day. In many parts of the country on Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday and the St. Stephen's Day ( Boxing Day ) also are committed. All other holidays are limited to some cantons or to certain districts and municipalities within individual cantons. In Switzerland, several types of holidays can be distinguished:

• Sundays equivalent Holidays in accordance with Article 20a paragraph 1 ArG: Each canton may contain the federal holiday a maximum of eight days a year is a special Sunday set, that is, give them the same status as it is enshrined in federal law for the Sundays at the cantonal level. Not all cantons draw this number completely ( cf. AR, FR and GR).
• Public holidays, which inevitably fall because of the definition of their date on a Sunday, thus trivially assimilated to Sundays and are therefore not listed separately below. These are the Easter Sunday ( all Switzerland ), Whitsunday ( all Switzerland ) and the Swiss Federal Thanks, Buss and Prayer ( all except Switzerland Canton of Geneva ).
• Legally recognized public rest days: for these days mostly the same rules as for a special Sunday Asked holidays are, the legal basis for this, however, were determined by the state or of the municipality and may therefore differ in details of the rules for Sundays. With the ability to define cantonal rest days, it can in some cantons longer than those provided for in federal law nine non-working holidays give ( cf. AI, SZ and UR).
• Legally recognized public peace half days
• Not legally recognized holidays where regionally but still mostly the work rests completely or restricted (eg, from noon off work, etc.)

The following table shows the most important and relatively spacious committed holidays. Events that are celebrated only in small parts of Switzerland, not be considered here and will be addressed in the next section.

Notes:

• In the municipalities concerned by AG both days are only recognized by law if they do not fall on a Tuesday or Saturday; for the Boxing Day this applies also in the cantons of AI, AR and UR. The historical reason for this scheme is that it for the purpose of ensuring the basic service should never be three consecutive days off. Today, this provision is rarely observed, usually so is every year on both days rest from work.
• In NE both days are legally recognized, if they fall on a Monday. In practice, however, the Berchtoldstag is usually committed in each year, the St. Stephen's only when he actually falls, however, on a Monday.

Regional and local holidays

In addition to the above mentioned national or public holidays there are in Switzerland nor an almost incomprehensible number of regional and local holidays. Often these are limited to individual districts or only some communities. It is not just about commemorations of local events, but also eg to church fiestas or even just to market daily. Some of these local holidays are legally recognized, not a few are but traditionally committed, although they are not legally protected.

The following table shows an example of a few such holidays. A much more detailed overview can be found in the links listed in the section sources.

Regulations for nationally operating companies

In Switzerland, there are so many different regional public holidays that their full compliance with the nationally active companies (eg Swiss Post and the Swiss Federal Railways ) would be very cumbersome for a regulated workflow. It has therefore been agreed that only the following holidays that are already recognized in many parts of Switzerland, as public holidays apply in such companies, as well as in the Federal Administration: New Year, Berchtold, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday National Day, Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day. This definition applies throughout Switzerland and even if one of these holidays in a canton or region is not normally a public holiday.

In the public transport network of the holiday schedule thus applies only to the above holidays, on all other days is also in cantons where this day is a holiday, went to work day service. On the other hand, applies, for example in the Valais on whit the holiday schedule, although he is a regular working day there. Local trucking company, however, observe the locally applicable provisions and go on all days that are actually committed as a public holiday, according to Sunday and holiday schedule and otherwise according to weekday or Saturday schedule. For holidays that apply only in individual communities, exceptions are possible.

Forms of regional differences

Only the cantons of Vaud and Thurgau have not only regionally valid still not legally recognized but still mostly committed holidays. A few other cantons, Schaffhausen, and about Nidwalden, although there are holidays that are committed majority even though they are not legally recognized, but none that are only valid in certain communities.

Also to be found is the regulation that expressly Catholic holidays (Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints Day and Immaculate Conception) are only in regions with a predominantly Catholic population and work-free regions in the reformed regular work days. For example, the above four holidays are in the Catholic canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, but not in the reformed Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Occasionally there are also differences within a canton, because directed the status of these days after local religious majorities. They are seen in the canton of Fribourg in all districts except in most communities of the Lake District. In the canton of Valais purely Catholic holiday even have a higher priority than some pan- Christian festivals. There are there, although the above-mentioned days and also of St. Joseph recognized by law but are Good Friday, Easter Monday and Whit Monday officially no days off.

In the canton of Aargau, regional differences have ultimately also religious reasons, but the division is here more diverse: there are ( apart from a few committed only within individual municipalities holidays and May 1, which, although often work freely in this canton, but not an official holiday is ) a total of six different combinations of the holidays Berchtold, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, Assumption Day, All Saints, Immaculate Conception and St. Stephen's Day. Since these confusing regulations were mainly perceived by representatives from industry as a hindrance, a revision of Aargau holidays was from 2008 planned, which was already decided by the government: The Catholic holiday of Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints Day and Immaculate Conception should be represented in the regions account for, but Berchtoldtag, Easter Monday, Whit Monday and Boxing Day should be canton -wide holidays and also usually not noticed exemptions to Berchtold's and St. Stephen's Day (see above) should be abolished on this occasion. After protests, especially the Catholic Church, but also within the population, the changes were withdrawn at the end of 2006 by the Grand Council of the canton, so continue to apply the current, quite complicated holiday regulation in Aargau.

Especially in the cantons of Lucerne, Schwyz Solothurn and commit most of the communities so-called church patron saints on the day of the local patron saint, so there are a large number of regional holidays that apply only in a single community, or at most within a district.

For the canton of Graubünden in addition to the federal holidays only seven holidays are set far canton and the Confederation municipalities are legally entitled to determine at least one other holiday. However, an official holiday list does not exist. One can observe, however, that recognized in the Canton of Ticino Holidays are often committed in the also Italian-speaking parts of Grisons, especially in the neighboring district Moësa. In many German and Romansh communities some of the Catholic festivals are public holidays. Furthermore, there is also in this canton in many communities Fixed local churches and patrons, which are often committed as a public holiday.