The Supreme Council
of the Republic of Latvia has adopted a law:

On Public Holidays, Commemoration Days, and Celebration Days

[21 March 2002]

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia has decided:

1. To determine the following public holidays:

1 January - New Year's Day;

Good Friday and Easter Sunday and Easter Monday;

1 May - Labour Day; Day of the Convocation of the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Latvia;

4 May - Day of the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia;

the second Sunday of May - Mother's Day;

Pentecost;

23 June - Līgo Day;

24 June - Jāņi Day (summer solstice);

Final Day of the Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance Celebration;

18 November - Day of the Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia;

24 December, 25 December, 26 December - Christmas (winter solstice);

31 December - New Year's Eve;

24 September 2018 - Day of the Pastoral Visit to Latvia of His Holiness Pope Francis.

The Orthodox believers, the Old Believers, and believers belonging to other denominations shall celebrate Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas on the days stipulated by such denominations.

If the official holidays - 4 May, the Final Day of the Latvian Nationwide Song and Dance Celebration, and 18 November - fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the following working day shall be determined as a holiday.

[21 September 1995; 18 December 1996; 21 March 2002; 24 May 2007; 7 April 2011; 2 October 2014; 21 June 2018]

2. To determine the following commemoration days and celebration days:

20 January - Commemoration Day of Defenders of the Barricades in 1991;

26 January - Day of the International De Jure Recognition of the Republic of Latvia;

2 March - National Partisan Armed Resistance Remembrance Day;

8 March - International Women's Day;

17 March - National Resistance Movement Remembrance Day;

25 March - Commemoration Day of Victims of Communist Terror;

27 April - Latgale Congress Day;

8 May - Day of the Defeat of Nazism and Commemoration Day of Victims of World War II;

9 May - Europe Day;

15 May - International Day of the Family;

17 May - Firefighter and Rescuer Day;

1 June - International Day for Protection of Children;

14 June - Commemoration Day of Victims of Communist Terror;

17 June - Day of the Occupation of the Republic of Latvia;

the third Sunday of June - Medical Worker Day;

22 June - Heroes' Commemoration Day (Anniversary of the Battle of Cēsis);

4 July - Commemoration Day of Genocide Against the Jews;

the second Saturday of July - Day of the Sea Festival;

11 August - Latvian Freedom Fighters' Remembrance Day;

21 August - Day of the Passing of the Constitutional Law on the Status of the Republic of Latvia as a State and Actual Restoration of the Republic of Latvia;

23 August - Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism;

1 September - Knowledge Day;

the second Sunday of September - Father's Day;

22 September - Baltic Unity Day;

1 October - International Day of Older Persons;

the first Sunday of October - Teachers' Day;

15 October - Official Language Day;

7 November - Border Guards Day;

11 November - Lāčplēsis Day;

21 November - Remembrance Day of the Tragedy of 21 November 2013;

5 December - Police Day;

the first Sunday of December - Commemoration Day of Victims of Genocide Against the Latvian People By the Totalitarian Communist Regime.

[6 April 1995; 21 September 1995; 18 December 1996; 27 November 1997; 17 June 1998; 17 February 2000; 18 May 2000; 21 March 2002; 24 May 2007; 16 July 2009; 10 September 2009; 7 April 2011; 2 October 2014; 22 October 2015; 20 June 2018; 16 June 2021]

3. [29 May 1997]

4. The law On Public Holidays and Commemoration Days of 10 November 1989 of the Latvian SSR (Latvijas PSR Augstākās Padomes un Valdības Ziņotājs, 1989, No. 47) is repealed.

5. The Law comes into force from the moment of its adoption.

Transitional Provision

[20 June 2018]

The Cabinet shall be assigned to assess, by 31 December 2018, the current legislation regarding public holidays, commemoration days, and celebration days and to develop proposals for the methods by which the public holidays, commemoration days, celebration days, and other celebratory days should be determined in the future and the legal acts in which they should be included.

[20 June 2018]

Chairperson of the Supreme Council
of the Republic of Latvia A. Gorbunovs

Secretary of the Supreme Council
of the Republic of Latvia I. Daudišs

Rīga, 3 October 1990

¹ The Parliament of the Republic of Latvia

Translation © 2022 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)