Greece Public Holidays 2027

About Greece Public Holidays

Greece observes 12 official public holidays in 2027, a blend of fixed national commemorations and moveable Orthodox Christian feasts. The Greek holiday calendar is unique among European Union member states in that it follows the Eastern Orthodox church calendar for calculating moveable feasts such as Easter and Pentecost. Because Orthodox Easter is determined by the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar used in Western Christianity, it frequently falls on a different date from Catholic or Protestant Easter — sometimes weeks apart. All public holidays are non-working days guaranteed by law, with employees entitled to full pay regardless of whether the holiday falls on a weekday or weekend.

Two of the most significant holidays in the Greek calendar are national commemorations: Independence Day on March 25, marking the start of the 1821 Greek War of Independence against Ottoman rule, and Oxi Day on October 28, commemorating Greece's rejection of the Italian ultimatum in 1940. Orthodox Easter is the most culturally important religious observance, with the associated holidays of Clean Monday (the start of Lent), Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Whit Monday all carrying deep spiritual and social significance. The Assumption of Mary on August 15 is likewise one of the most widely observed religious holidays in Greece, often celebrated with processions and liturgies in villages and towns across the country.