| CYPRUS PUBLIC HOLIDAYS CALENDAR 2009 |
| Jan 1: New Years Day |
| The first day of the year. |
| Jan 6: Epiphany |
| The baptism of Christ. |
| Green Monday (Variable) - (2009 - Mar 2) |
| Green Monday is also know as Clean Monday, Pure Monday and Ash Monday. This is the first day of the Greek Orthodox Great Lent. It occurs in the beginning of the 7th week before Easter Sunday. The day is celebrated in Greece and Cyprus by outdoor excursions, kite flying and consumption of seafood and other non-meat product. |
| Mar 25: Greek National Day |
| Greek Independence day - also know as Greek Revolution day. It marks the beginning of the Greek war of independence from the Ottoman Empire (1821 - 1831) |
| Apr 1: Greek Cypriot National Day |
1st April 1955 - This day marks the start of the EOKA rebellion for Cyprus to obtain independence from Great Britain
(WORTH NOTING: April 1st is also know as FOOLS DAY or ALL FOOLS DAY in may countries) |
| Greek Orthodox Good Friday - (2009 - Apr 17) |
Easter the most important religious holiday in the Greek Orthodox calendar. Good Friday is on the Friday before Easter sunday. It commemorates the crucifixions of Christ. On this day special prayer services are held with readings from the Gospels of the events leading up to the crucifixion.
NOTE: Western - Catholic Good Friday (2009 - Apr 10) |
| Greek Orthodox Easter Monday - (2009 - Apr 20) |
Easter Monday the day after Easter Sunday. celebrated as a holiday in most Christian countries.
NOTE: Western - Catholic Easter Monday (2009 - Apr 13) |
| May 1: Labour Day |
| The day celebrating the struggle economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated across the world. |
| Pentecost - (50 days after Greek Orthodox Easter) - (2009 - Jun 8) |
| The Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost day. |
| Aug 15: Dormition of the Virgin Mary |
| The second most important religious holiday in the Greek Orthodox calendar. This is the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Mother of Jesus. According to Greek Orthodoxy this is the day that Jesus Christ had taken Mary's body to heaven after her soul and reunited them, as a foretaste of the forthcoming general resurrection. |
| Oct 1: Cyprus Independence Day |
| 1st October 1960 - Cyprus gains its independence from Great Britain and becomes a democracy. |
| Oct 28: Greek National Day (Ohi Day) |
| Celebrated throughout Greece and Cyprus as Ohi Day (No Day). On the 28th of October 1940 when the then Greek leader Ioannis Metaxas, was presented with an ultimatum by the Italians to let Axis forces to enter Greece or face war. Ioannis Metaxas allegedly replied with a single word to the ultimatum OHI which is the Greek word for NO. |
| Dec 24-26: Christmas |
| Nativity of Jesus Christ. The Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. |
Holidays
In Cyprus