Christmas Day

The next dates

• 2026Friday, 25 December
• 2027Saturday, 25 DecemberWeekend
• 2028Monday, 25 December

In which cantons is Christmas Day a holiday?

• 26cantonspublic holiday throughout the canton

Origin

At Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. When he was born has not been handed down; Christian scholars already tried to calculate the date in the 2nd century without reaching agreement. A separate feast of the birth of Christ has only existed since the 4th century. It was probably introduced on 25 December in Rome in the 330s. A Roman calendar from 354 notes for this day: “Natus Christus in Betleem Iudeae”, Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea. In the Roman calendar, 25 December was also the birthday of the sun god Sol Invictus, at the time of the winter solstice.

Sources: Universität Heidelberg: Wie Weihnachten auf den 25. Dezember kam

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.