December the 7th, 2022 - Being a Catholic country, there are a lot of Croatian national holidays. Religion isn’t the only reason they occur, of course, with some being related to a significant day in national history or being anniversaries of important dates during the Homeland War which saw Croatia break away from the former Yugoslavia, win a brutal war, and become an independent, sovereign state.
There are fourteen Croatian national holidays in total, and it’s worth trying to make a mental note of at least a handful or so of them because many businesses put their keys in the lock and most shops put up the closed signs without much notice. You’re kind of expected to just know.
Some national holidays marked in Croatia are more or less the same as across the rest of Europe, but others may appear random and more obscure to foreigners who might be surprised at everything suddenly being closed without much warning.
New Year’s Day (Nova Godina) - January the 1st.
Epiphany (Sveta tri kralja/Bogojavljenje) - January the 6th.
Easter (Uskrs) - The date changes annually depending on when Easter actually falls.
International Workers’ Day (Međunarodni praznik rada) - May the 1st.
Corpus Christi (Tijelovo) - The date changes annually because it occurs sixty days after Easter, the date of which also alters from year to year.
Statehood Day (Dan Državnosti) - May the 30th.
Anti-Fascist Struggle Day (Dan antifašističke borbe) - June the 22nd.
Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day (Dan pobjede i domovinske zahvalnosti) - August the 5th.
The Assumption of Mary (Velika Gospa) - August the 15th.
All Saints Day (Dan svih svetih) - November the 1st.
Remembrance Day for the victims of the Croatian War of Independence and the Vukovar and Škabrnja massacres (Dan sjećanja na žrtve Domovinskog rata i Dan sjećanja na žrtvu Vukovara i Škabrnje) - November the 18th.
Christmas (Božić) - December the 25th.
Saint Stephen’s Day (Sveti Stjepan) - December the 26th.
For more on traditions and customs, living in Croatia, moving to Croatia and other things you need to know, make sure to keep up with our lifestyle section.
