Public Holidays 2009

The following Public Holidays are celebrated in The Islands of The Bahamas: 2009

• January 1st - New Year’s Day
  (Junkanoo Parades take place in most islands.)

• April 10th- Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
  This Religious Holiday marks the end of the Lenten Season and is the first day of a long holiday weekend which includes the following Monday after Easter Sunday. On this holy day most Bahamians attend church services and serve fish as their main meal of the day.

• April 13th - Easter Monday (Monday after Easter Sunday)
  This Holiday marks the beginning of the Beach Picnicking season for Bahamians. There are also many cookouts in Public Parks on the Nassau waterfront; homecomings and regattas are held in some Out Islands.

• June 1st - Whit Monday (Seventh Monday after Easter)
  This Holiday marks the beginning of public witness of the Christian Church and is the Monday after Whit Sunday, The Feast of Pentecost, which comes 50 days after Easter.

• June 6th - Labour Day (First Friday in June)
  On this Holiday, members of the Labour Unions from different organizations as well as Political Parties march in a large parade through the streets of Downtown Nassau, usually in colourful uniforms, beginning around 10:00 a.m. Local bands and a few junkanooers lead the parades, providing lively music for the marchers and spectators. The parade ends at the Southern Recreation Grounds, where Union Leaders and local politicians deliver speeches. Most Bahamians spend the afternoon relaxing or visiting beaches.

• July 10th - Independence Day

• August 3rd - Emancipation Day/August Monday
  (First Monday in August) This holiday is also known as August Monday and is celebrated on the first Monday in August. The holiday celebrates the emancipation of slavery in the British Colonies in 1834. The holiday is celebrated with a Junkanoo Rush- out, a day of beaching, sailing, and regattas in New Providence and the Out Islands. In New Providence old slave villages such as Gambier in the west and Fox Hill in the east have their own special celebrations.

• October 12th - Discovery/Columbus Day
  Recently there has been a drive to change the name of this Holiday from Columbus Day to Hero’s Day in honour of Bahamian National Heroes. To this end a small ceremony is held in Rawson Square, downtown Nassau, in honour of Bahamian National Heroes.

• December 25th - Christmas Day

• December 26th - Boxing Day
  (Junkanoo Parades take place in some islands.)
  This holiday was granted to the slaves the day after Christmas when they were given the boxes left over from their master’s gifts. These boxes usually were sent from England and were well crafted from fine wood. Hence the Holiday is known as Boxing Day.

Please note: Holidays falling on a Saturday or Sunday are usually celebrated on the following Monday.

Holidays falling on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday – the Tuesday holiday is usually celebrated on Monday and the Wednesday & Thursday holidays will be celebrated on Friday (with the exception of Independence Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

Banks/businesses (and many shops) are closed on Public Holidays.

Source: www.bahamas.com