# Norwegian public holidays and special days — and how they are celebrated

An overview of every Norwegian public holiday and "red day": Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, 1 and 17 May — and the rules for when shops are closed.

Canonical: https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/norske-helligdager
Language: en
Publisher: SamfunnPrep
Author: Hlib Suslov
Published: 2026-06-30T22:10:01.278+00:00
Modified: 2026-10-06T14:06:39.568534+00:00
AI use policy: https://samfunnprep.no/ai-policy.txt

In Norway ten days plus every Sunday are official **public holidays** (helligdager) under the Holy Days Act: New Year's Day, the four Easter days, Ascension Day, the two days of Pentecost and the two days of Christmas. In addition, **1 and 17 May** are statutory days off under a separate law from 1947. Together this gives around **12 "red days"** a year, and on most of them shops must stay closed.

## What do "red day" and "public holiday" mean?
"Red day" (rød dag) is the everyday word for the days printed in red on the calendar. Most employees are then entitled to paid time off, just like on a Sunday. Legally, two laws govern this:

- The **Holy Days Act** (Act of 24 February 1995 No. 12) lists the public holidays in § 2: every Sunday, **New Year's Day**, **Maundy Thursday**, **Good Friday**, **Easter Sunday and Easter Monday**, **Ascension Day**, **Whit Sunday and Whit Monday**, and **Christmas Day and Boxing Day**.
- 1 and 17 May are not mentioned here. They were made days off through a **separate law from 1947** on 1 and 17 May as festival days.

How many extra days off you actually get varies from year to year, because some of them fall on a Sunday. In 2026, for example, Easter Sunday, 17 May and Whit Sunday are all Sundays, so there are fewer "extra" days off than in a year when those days fall midweek.

## The red days in 2026
Here are the movable and fixed public holidays as they fall in 2026:

| Day | Date 2026 |
| --- | --- |
| New Year's Day | Thursday 1 January |
| Maundy Thursday | Thursday 2 April |
| Good Friday | Friday 3 April |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 5 April |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April |
| 1 May (Labour Day) | Friday 1 May |
| Ascension Day | Thursday 14 May |
| 17 May (Constitution Day) | Sunday 17 May |
| Whit Sunday | Sunday 24 May |
| Whit Monday | Monday 25 May |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December |

The Easter and Pentecost dates move every year because they are calculated from the phases of the moon. Christmas, New Year and the May days, on the other hand, are always on the same date.

## The religious holidays: Christmas, Easter, Pentecost
Most Norwegian public holidays have a Christian background, even though many people today mark them without any religious content.

- **Christmas:** Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December) are red days. Christmas Eve itself, 24 December, is *not* a public holiday under the law, but most people have the day off or a short day. Christmas is celebrated with family, gifts, festive food (ribbe, pinnekjøtt or lutefisk) and often a church service.
- **Easter:** Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are all red days. Many people go to their cabin, ski and read crime novels. Together with the weekend before, it becomes a long holiday.
- **Pentecost:** Whit Sunday and Whit Monday, seven weeks after Easter, mark the Holy Spirit in the Christian faith. Today it is mostly a spring weekend off.
- **Ascension Day:** a Thursday 40 days after Easter, marking, in the Christian faith, Jesus rising to heaven. Many take the following Friday off and get a long weekend.

An important point for new residents: even though the days have Christian origins, Norway today is a diverse society. You do not have to believe in or take part in anything religious to have these days off — they are days off for all employees, whatever their beliefs. To understand how these traditions connect with the country's history, read more in [Norway's history](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/norges-historie-eksamen).

## National and secular days: New Year, 1 and 17 May
Some red days are not about religion, but about the nation and working life.

- **New Year's Day (1 January)** marks the new year. It is a public holiday under the law, but the celebration is secular.
- **1 May – Labour Day.** An international day for the labour movement, with marches, speeches and banners. It became a day off in Norway in 1947.
- **17 May – Constitution Day.** Norway's national day, commemorating the Constitution of 1814. It is celebrated with children's parades, the bunad (national costume), brass bands, ice cream and hot dogs — with no military parade. 17 May is perhaps the day that surprises new residents most: it is very inclusive, and children of all backgrounds march in the parade. To understand what the Constitution means today, see [How democracy works in Norway](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/slik-fungerer-demokratiet-norge).

## Special days that are not red days
Not every important day in the calendar is a day off. Some are **flag days** or special days without time off:

- **Palm Sunday** (the Sunday before Easter) is red only because it is a Sunday, not as a public holiday in its own right.
- **Sami People's Day, 6 February,** has been an official flag day since 2003, but does not give time off from work or school.
- **Christmas Eve (24 Dec) and New Year's Eve (31 Dec)** are not public holidays. Shops may open, but must close at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

In addition, Norway has several official **flag days** through the year — such as the King's and Queen's birthdays and Liberation Day on 8 May — when public bodies raise the flag but most people work as usual. A flag day and a red day are therefore not the same thing.

## When are the shops closed? The Holy Days Act in practice
The main rule in § 5 of the Holy Days Act is clear: **on public holidays, fixed retail outlets that sell goods to consumers must stay closed.** This also applies to ordinary Sundays. But there are practical exceptions:

| Type of shop | May it open? |
| --- | --- |
| Ordinary grocery store / shopping centre | No, closed on red days |
| Small kiosk/grocery under **100 m²** ("Brustad-bua") | Yes |
| Petrol station under **150 m²** | Yes |
| Flower and garden shops | Yes |
| Shops in typical tourist areas | Often yes |

Some additional rules also apply:

- **On Christmas Eve, Easter Eve and Whit Eve**, ordinary shops must close no later than **4 p.m.**
- On the **three last Sundays before Christmas**, shops may open between **2 and 8 p.m.**

So plan your shopping before a red day. A small "Brustad-bua", a petrol station or a shop in a tourist area is often the only option if you need something on that exact day. If you are new to the country, you will find more practical tips in [Your first week in Norway](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/din-forste-uke-i-norge).

## In short
The public holidays are a mix of Christian heritage (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Ascension) and secular national days (New Year, 1 and 17 May). On almost all of them you have the day off and the big shops are closed — so it pays to do your shopping the day before.

## Practical for families, work and planning

For families, red days are often more than days off. Kindergartens, schools, after-school programmes, GP offices and many public offices may be closed or have shorter opening hours around holidays. At work, it is common to clarify holiday leave, time off in lieu and shift schedules well in advance, especially around Christmas, Easter and May. Many immigrants are surprised that Norway has several Christian public holidays even though society is otherwise religiously diverse. The explanation is historical: the calendar is based on Christian tradition, workers' rights and national commemorations. For the test, it is useful to distinguish between a red day, a flag day, an ordinary special day and a religious celebration that does not automatically give time off.

## FAQ

### How many red days does Norway have?

Under the Holy Days Act there are ten fixed public holidays plus every Sunday: New Year's Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday and Monday, and Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In addition, 1 and 17 May are days off under a separate law from 1947. Together that makes around 12 red days a year, but the number of extra days off varies because some fall on a Sunday.

### Are 1 May and 17 May public holidays?

No, not under the Holy Days Act. They were made public days off through a separate law from 1947 on 1 and 17 May as festival days. In practice they are still red days when most people have paid time off, just like the religious public holidays.

### Are shops closed on red days?

Yes. Section 5 of the Holy Days Act says fixed retail outlets that sell goods to consumers must stay closed on public holidays and Sundays. The exceptions are small kiosks and grocery shops under 100 m² ("Brustad-bua"), petrol stations under 150 m², flower and garden shops, and shops in typical tourist areas.

### What is a "Brustad-bua"?

It is the nickname for small retail outlets that mainly sell kiosk or grocery goods and have a total sales area of no more than 100 square metres. Such shops are allowed to stay open on Sundays and public holidays. The name comes from former minister Sylvia Brustad.

### Is Christmas Eve a red day?

No, Christmas Eve on 24 December is not a public holiday under the law, and neither is New Year's Eve on 31 December. Most people still have the day off or a short day. Shops may open on Christmas Eve but must close by 4 p.m. The red Christmas days are Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 25 and 26 December.

## Sources

- [Lov om helligdager og helligdagsfred (helligdagsloven)](https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1995-02-24-12)
- [Samenes nasjonaldag](https://snl.no/samenes_nasjonaldag)
- [Lukningstid (Brustad-bua og åpningstider)](https://snl.no/lukningstid)

Citation: Hlib Suslov, "Norwegian public holidays and special days — and how they are celebrated", SamfunnPrep, 2026-06-30T22:10:01.278+00:00, https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/norske-helligdager