Holidays & Observances in Eritrea
Eritrea is an East African country bordered by the Red Sea. It has many different cultural groups with different languages and traditions. Eritrea is one of the few countries in the world with no official language as so many are spoken throughout their country. Islam and Christianity are both popular religions, each accounting for about half of the population. Most of the Christian churches here follow the Julian calendar, so the dates of holidays fall on Julian dates. Despite their differences, Eritreans stick together and have a strong national pride, particularly because the fight for independence was a long process only succeeded recently. Conflict with Ethiopia (its former owner) has negatively affected its economy and made it difficult for this young country to develop its own unique holidays and traditions.
Country Observances
Holiday Date | Country Holiday | Observance Type | Religion/Belief |
---|---|---|---|
Laylat Al-Qadr | Religious/Beliefs | Islam / Muslim | |
Orthodox Good Friday | Religious/Beliefs | Christianity, Orthodox | |
Orthodox Holy Saturday | Religious/Beliefs | Christianity, Orthodox | |
Orthodox Easter | Religious/Beliefs | Christianity, Orthodox | |
Orthodox Easter Monday | Religious/Beliefs | Christianity, Orthodox | |
Independence Day Eritrea | Public | ||
New Years Eve | Popular | ||
New Year's Day | Popular | ||
Orthodox Christmas | Religious/Beliefs | Christianity, Orthodox | |
Ramadan Begins | Religious/Beliefs | Islam / Muslim | |
International Women's Day | Popular | ||
Laylat Al-Qadr | Religious/Beliefs | Islam / Muslim |