Sri Lanka Public Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Sri Lanka and start planning to make the most of your time off.
Sri Lanka observes national holidays including New Year’s Day; Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad); Tamil Thai Pongal Day; National Day; Mahashivrate; Sinhala and Tamil New Year; Labour Day; Eid al-Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan; Eid al-Adha Feast of Sacrifice and Christmas Day. Time off may be allowed for celebrations of national and regional festivals. As festivals are not considered official national holidays, entitlement to time off is generally at the discretion of the employer.
Sri Lanka also celebrates Full Moon Poya Days as national holidays. Every worker in Sri Lanka is entitled to a paid holiday on every Full Moon Poya Day, which amounts to 12 days per calendar year. If an employee is required to work on a Full Moon Poya Day, he or she is entitled to compensation amounting to not less than one and one-half times the normal wage. In addition, workers are entitled to paid time off for Festival holidays, usually amounting to 16 days per year.