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HOLIDAYS

What public holidays does Denmark have in 2022?

If you work in Denmark, you may have been disappointed with the loss of a couple of days off in late 2021 because Christmas and New Year’s Day fell on weekends. Is 2022 any better?

Great Prayer Day is an extra day off for everyone in Denmark, even in years when other public holidays fall on weekends.
Great Prayer Day is an extra day off for everyone in Denmark, even in years when other public holidays fall on weekends. Photo: John Randeris/Ritzau Scanpix

Denmark had 10 public holidays in 2021, a little short of what you might expect. That is because no substitute day is given when holidays fall on a weekend.

December 25th (Christmas), December 26th (Boxing Day) and January 1st (New Year’s Day) all fell on weekends in 2021, denying three extra festive days off which might other wise have been enjoyed.

The public holidays in 2022 – and the days they fall on – are as follows:

January 1st (New Year’s Day, Saturday); Maundy Thursday (April 14th); Palm Sunday (April 10th); Good Friday (April 15th); Easter Monday (April 18th); General Prayer Day (Friday May 13th); Ascension Day (Thursday May 26th); Whitsunday (June 5th); Pentecost (Monday June 6th); Christmas Day (Sunday December 25th); Boxing Day (Monday December 26th).

As can be seen, the Christmas Day and New Year holidays again fall on weekends this year, though Boxing Day is a Monday, so one public holiday will be regained at least.

Christmas Eve (December 24th) and December 31st (New Year’s Eve) are not public holidays, but many employers treat them as such. These are Saturdays in 2022, so will not be an ‘extra’ day off for most people.

The other public holidays, including the uniquely Danish Great Prayer Day, are on set days of the week and are as such unaffected by quirks of the calendar.

Is there any good news?

Erm… some industries have May 1st (Labour Day) as a day off, so people in certain sectors do get this as an additional holiday.

Likewise, June 5th (Constitution Day) is a holiday for banks and government workers, with most shops also closed by law. It is an optional day off for the private sector. But it falls on the same day as Whitsunday in 2022, so this is also ruled out for the current year.

If 2022 is slightly sub bar for public holidays, the only thing to do is look forward to a better calendar for next year… beginning on Sunday, January 1st, 2023.

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