Public holiday

A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year.

Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history. For example, Australians celebrate Australia Day.

They vary by country and may vary by year. India leads the list with 21 National Holidays in the year 2015. Cambodia has over 20 days of official public holidays per year. Hong Kong and Egypt have 16 days of holidays per year. The public holidays are generally days of celebration, like the anniversary of a significant historical event, or can be a religious celebration like Christmas. Holidays can land on a specific day of the year, be tied to a certain day of the week in a certain month or follow other calendar systems like the Lunar Calendar.

Solemn ceremonies and children’s festivals take place throughout Turkey on National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, held on April 23 each year. Children take seats in the Turkish Parliament and symbolically govern the country for one day.