Easter Monday

The next dates

• 2026Monday, 6 April
• 2027Monday, 29 March
• 2028Monday, 17 April

In which cantons is Easter Monday a holiday?

• 15cantonspublic holiday throughout the canton
• 2cantonspublic holiday only in parts or under conditions
• 2cantonscantonal rest day
• 7cantonscustomary day off

Origin

Easter is the oldest and most important Christian feast: it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Its date follows a rule that goes back to the Council of Nicaea in 325: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring. Easter Sunday therefore falls no earlier than 22 March and no later than 25 April, and Ascension Day, Whitsun and Corpus Christi move with it. Easter Monday extends the feast by one day. In Zurich, people play “Zwänzgerle” on this morning: adults try to throw a 20-centime coin into an Easter egg so that it gets stuck. If they succeed, the egg is theirs; otherwise the children keep the coin.

Sources: Vatican News: Ostertermin und Konzil von Nicäa · Zürich Tourismus: Zwänzgerle

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.