New public holidays wanted in Hungary

Hungarian society has long been waiting for 24 December to become a public holiday in Hungary, like in seven other European countries, says Péter Balassa, Member of Parliament, who has again submitted a legislative amendment proposal to this end.

Péter Balassa (Jobbik) proposes an amendment to Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code to make Christmas Eve a public holiday.

There are currently public holidays in Hungary:

New Year’s Day – 1 January

1848-49 Revolution and War of Independence – 15 March

Good Friday – Easter cycle

Easter Monday – constantly changing date

Labour Day – 1 May

Pentecost Monday – constantly changing date

State Founding Day – 20 August

56th Revolution Day – 23 October

All Saints Day – 1 November

Christmas Day – 25 December

Christmas Day – 26 December

According to Péter Balassa’s proposal, Article 102(1) of Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code would be replaced by the following provision:

(1) Public holidays: 1 January, 15 March, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Whit Monday, 20 August, 23 October, 1 November and 24-26 December.

In justifying his proposal, Balassa pointed out that

in December 2023, several retailers—mentioning only the biggest ones, such as Lidl, Rossmann, and Penny—backed the initiative, allowing their employees to spend Christmas Eve with their loved ones and families.

In fact, it is probably only a matter of time before the government proposes a resolution to declare 24 December a public holiday, which will be adopted as a proposal of its own. In Hungary, shops are rarely open on Christmas Eve, and usually only until noon, and public transport also switches to public holiday mode in the second half of the day, so it is, in effect, an unrecognised but official for many people public holiday.

read also: Here’s when one of the world’s most beautiful Christmas fairs will open in Budapest!

Government response to the new public holiday

This is the fifth time the proposal has been repeated, but the proposal to make Christmas Eve a public holiday was voted down yearly by a two-thirds majority of Fidesz, a party with Christian and conservative values.