All Saints' Day

The next dates

• 2026Sunday, 1 NovemberWeekend
• 2027Monday, 1 November
• 2028Wednesday, 1 November

In which cantons is All Saints' Day a holiday?

• 10cantonspublic holiday throughout the canton
• 3cantonspublic holiday only in parts or under conditions
• 2cantonscantonal rest day
• 11cantonsnot a holiday

Origin

On All Saints' Day, the Church remembers all saints, including those whom nobody knows. A forerunner was the dedication of the Pantheon in Rome to Mary and all martyrs at the beginning of the 7th century. The feast has fallen on 1 November since the 9th century; the Orthodox churches, by contrast, celebrate All Saints on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The actual day of remembrance for the dead is All Souls' Day on 2 November. But because All Saints' Day is a day off in many places, many families already visit the graves of their relatives on this day, decorate them and light a grave candle.

Sources: Walliser Bote: Gedenktag der Heiligen · Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (BAFID): Allerheiligen

What the three types mean

Public holiday

Treated like a Sunday (Art. 20a Labour Act). Employees have the day off.

Cantonal rest day

Public rest day under cantonal law, e.g. shops are closed. Under employment law it is a working day.

Customary day off

Not a public holiday, but many employers give the day off. Your employment contract decides whether you are off.