Holidays & Observances in East Timor

East Timor is an Asian country on the island of Timor, on the east end of the Indonesian archipelago. It is a young country, gaining its independence from Portugal for only 9 days in 1975 before it was annexed by Indonesia until 2002. As such it is an underdeveloped country that still feels the aftereffects of its fight for independence, but it is expected to see some economic growth in the coming years. There are many cultures alive in Indonesia and many languages are spoken, though Tetum and Portuguese are the official languages. Roman Catholicism, brought here by the Portuguese, is practiced by over 90% of the population, making East Timor one of the few Asian countries where Catholicism is popular. Christian holidays are widespread, but cohesive holiday traditions are still being developed in this young country.