Austrian Art - Public Holidays

Public Holidays

Since Roman Catholicism is the predominant Christian denomination in Austria, most of the public holidays are Catholic ones. At the same time, and in contrast to Switzerland or Germany, Good Friday is a public holiday not just for Catholics, but for all citizens belonging to any denomination that observes Good Friday.

Although most holidays in Austria are defined in the federal labour law (Arbeitsruhegesetz), some are due to other sources of law such as social partnership collective contracts (see: Austria's "social partnership"). Due to the special emphasis that the Austrian labour law puts on the collective contract, in Austria such contracts are not limited to members of the union that negotiated the contract. This means that the collective contract is actually more like a law than a union agreement.

In addition to national holidays, some holidays are defined on a state-by-state basis. Abbreviations for the Austria states are described in States of Austria.

Easter Sunday and Whitsun are not listed below, since these will always by definition fall on a Sunday and are therefore already regulated by Sunday laws.

English Name Local Name Date B K NÖ OÖ S ST T V W
New Year's Day Neujahr 1 January • • • • • • • • •
Epiphany Heilige Drei Könige 6 January • • • • • • • • •
Saint Joseph Josef 5) 19 March • • • •
Good Friday Karfreitag 1) floating holiday (Easter Sunday - 2 days) • • • • • • • • •
Easter Monday Ostermontag floating holiday (Easter Sunday + 1 day) • • • • • • • • •
National Holiday Labour day Staatsfeiertag (Tag der Arbeit) 1 May • • • • • • • • •
Saint Florian Florian 4) 5) 4 May •
Ascension Christi Himmelfahrt floating holiday (Easter Sunday + 39 days) • • • • • • • • •
Whit Monday Pfingstmontag floating holiday (Easter Sunday + 50 days) • • • • • • • • •
Corpus Christi Fronleichnam floating holiday (Easter Sunday + 60 days) • • • • • • • • •
Assumption of Mary Mariä Himmelfahrt 15 August • • • • • • • • •
Rupert of Salzburg Rupert 5) 24 September •
Carinthian Plebiscite Tag der Volksabstimmung 5) 10 October •
National Day (Declaration of Neutrality) Nationalfeiertag 26 October • • • • • • • • •
All Saints Allerheiligen 1 November • • • • • • • • •
Martin of Tours Martin 5) 11 November •
Leopold III, Margrave of Austria Leopold 3) 5) 15 November • •
Immaculate Conception Mariä Empfängnis 2) 8 December • • • • • • • • •
Christmas Eve Heiliger Abend (CC) 24 December • • • • • • • • •
Christmas Christtag 25 December • • • • • • • • •
St. Stephen's Day Stefanitag 26 December • • • • • • • • •
New Year's Eve Silvester (CC) 31 December • • • • • • • • •
Total number of days 6) 17 18 17 17 17 17 17 17 17

(CC) day off or partly day off due to collective contract (German: Kollektivvertrag)

1) Holiday according to the federal labor law, but applies only to the followers of the Reformed churches and Lutheran Church, the Old Catholic Church and the Methodist Church.

2) If 8 December is a working day, employees may work in shops.

3) Until 2003 it was also a holiday in Upper Austria.

4) A holiday only since 2004.

5) Holidays by state law, primarily affecting schools and state offices.

6) The total number of holidays that apply for all employees is 13, or 12, if 2) applies.

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