Christmas Eve could become a genuine public holiday in Hungary as early as this year, meaning employees may no longer have to make up the day by working a Saturday. A new proposal says the change could be introduced with a simple parliamentary majority.
24 December could become a statutory day off
Hungary could make 24 December a public holiday as early as 2026, with no referendum or two-thirds parliamentary majority required under the current legal framework.
According to Világgazdaság, the National Federation of Workers’ Councils (Munkástanácsok Országos Szövetsége) and trade union organisation Egyenlő.hu submitted a concrete proposal to the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs in July. If the proposal reaches Parliament in the autumn and is approved, Christmas Eve could become a public holiday without requiring employees to make up the day by working a Saturday.
The proposed solution is legally simpler than the issue might suggest. Rather than creating a new national holiday, 24 December would simply be added to the list of statutory public holidays in Hungary’s Labour Code.
At present, the list includes 1 January, 15 March, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Whit Monday, 20 August, 23 October, 1 November, and 25 and 26 December.
Under the current system, 24 December is not a public holiday. Instead, the government can designate it as a rest day in the annual working-time schedule, with employees then required to work on a nearby Saturday.
This is exactly what is planned for 2026: Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday, making 24 December a designated rest day, but employees are currently scheduled to work on Saturday, 12 December in exchange. The proposed amendment would change this arrangement permanently.
No more Saturday make-up day
If 24 December were added to the Labour Code’s list of public holidays, it would no longer need to be designated as a day off through a separate ministerial decree every year. Most importantly, the Saturday make-up working day would disappear as well.
According to the organisations behind the proposal, amending the Labour Code would only require a simple parliamentary majority. There would be no need to amend the Fundamental Law’s provisions concerning public holidays, meaning a two-thirds majority would not be necessary.
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It would be more than just another day off
There is an important legal distinction between a holiday and a statutory public holiday. Simply declaring a date a holiday does not automatically mean employees cannot be required to work. A statutory public holiday, however, comes with specific employment-law protections.
Csaba Bubenkó, deputy president of Munkástanácsok, said the proposed amendment would guarantee exemption from work and introduce stricter conditions for those who could still legally be scheduled to work. The rules on holiday pay supplements and compensation for absence would also apply.
The change would have a direct impact on retailers, too. Under the proposal, no separate shop-opening regulations would be necessary: designating 24 December as a public holiday would itself mean that shops could not open, while essential food supplies and public services would continue to be taken into account.
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A referendum may no longer be necessary
Other trade unions have also been working towards making Christmas Eve a public holiday. The Trade Union of Commercial Employees (Kereskedelmi Alkalmazottak Szakszervezete) has been working to collect the 200,000 signatures required for a referendum initiative certified by Hungary’s National Election Office.
The new legal proposal could make that process unnecessary. If Parliament simply adds 24 December to the Labour Code’s list of public holidays, there would be no need for the longer and more costly referendum process.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar previously promised that Christmas Eve would become a public holiday that would not have to be made up by working another day. In July, he also said he hoped the change could take effect as early as this year. However, the exact timing will depend on the legislative process and Parliament’s decision, so it is not yet certain that the new rules will apply this Christmas.
If Parliament approves the amendment in the autumn, 2026 could nevertheless become the first year in which 24 December is a fully fledged statutory public holiday rather than a transferred day off. And that would mean one thing many Hungarian workers will certainly welcome: no Saturday at work just to get Christmas Eve off.
