Public holidays in Liberia

Flags of Liberia. National Flag Day is celebrated in August

The following are public holidays in Liberia.[1]

Public holidays

[edit]
Date Name Remarks
January 1 New Year's Day
February 11 Armed Forces Day Honors the Armed Forces of Liberia[2]
Second Wednesday in March National Decoration Day Day to decorate the graves of ancestors.
March 15 Joseph Jenkins Roberts Birthday Birthday of the first president of Liberia.[3]
Second Friday in April Fast and Prayer Day Established by an act of the national legislature in 1883.[4]
May 14 National Unification Day Also called “Integration Day,” the purpose is to improve relations between descendants of American slaves and members of the aboriginal population. Established 1960.[5]
July 26 Independence Day From the American Colonization Society, 1847
August 24 National Flag Day The holiday was first observed in an 1847 convention, when the founding fathers approved the flag's design along with establishing the new republic.[6] It was established as a national holiday in 1915.[7]
First Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day Established in 1883, this is a day for prayer to thank God for being born in a free country.[8][9]
November 29 William V. S. Tubman's Birthday Birthday of the longest serving President in Liberia
December 25 Christmas Day

Former public holidays

[edit]
Date Name Remarks
December 1 Matilda Newport Day Named a holiday by the Legislature of Liberia in 1916. The holiday was abolished in 1980 following the coup by Samuel Doe, due to its divisive nature.[10][11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Embassy of Liberia - Home". Liberianembassyus.org. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Armed Forces Day 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "Joseph Jenkins Roberts' Birthday 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "Friday is Fast and Prayer Day". liberianobserver.com. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  5. ^ "National Unification Day 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "Liberia Flag Day". Encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Liberia: Flag Day Reflections - All Hail the Lone Star, All Hail!". AllAfrica. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Thanksgiving Day 2020, 2021 and 2022 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  9. ^ "Ellen declares Thursday, 2 November as National Thanksgiving Day". The New Dawn Liberia. November 1, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Sheldon, Kathleen (2005). "Newport, Matilda (c. 1795–1837)". Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Scarecrow Press. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-0-8108-6547-1.
  11. ^ Hochman, Jordana (November 9, 2010). "Liberia Dispatches 2: Matilda Newport". NPR. Retrieved December 2, 2021.