Why is the shop closed today? All you need to know about public holidays in Norway
Norway is known for its work-life balance, so it comes as no surprise that we Norwegians cherish our public holidays; and we sure do have a lot of them.
Have you been met by closed shops, on a what you believed to be a normal weekday? For non-Norwegians April to June may seem packed with unexpected public holidays, and closed shops, so we’ve put together a list of the 10 public holidays in Norway throughout the year:
Easter
Many countries have a day or two off at Easter, but in Norway we have three! Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday are all public holidays, and in the public sector it is also quite common to have a shorter workday on Good Wednesday. Schools and universities usually don’t have teaching during the Easter week at all, and people with flexible working hours tend to take the whole week off.
1st of May
Labour Day (or International Workers’ Day) is a public holiday in Norway. Some Norwegians join demonstrations or parades/, which are organised in most cities. Many Norwegians do, however, consider it a regular day off.
17th of May
Norway’s constitution day, the 17th of May, is a big deal in the whole of the country. Be prepared for parades, crowds and happy people wearing national costumes!
Ascension Day
Ascension Day commemorates the Christian belief Jesus's ascension into heaven. This is the 40th day of Easter, and always falls on a Thursday, either in May or in June.
Pentecost
If you ask someone why we celebrate Pentecost, it is quite likely that most Norwegians will not be able to give you an answer. In spite of this being one of the most obscure holidays, we still all enjoy an extra day off on Pentecost Day. Pentecost falls on a weekend in May or June depending on which time Easter was celebrated.
Christmas
Both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are shorter workdays, and shops close early. Christmas Day (December 25th), Boxing Day (December 26th) and New Year’s Day (January 1st) are public holidays.
“Inneklemt dag” – the day between two holidays
If a public holiday occurs on a Thursday or a Tuesday, the Friday and Monday is often referred to as an “inneklemt dag” – literary meaning a day squeezed in between two days off. You will find that many Norwegians will take leave on such Fridays or Mondays. And it is considered bad practice to plan professional meetings on these days – as well as a bit pointless since many won’t be at work anyway.
Public Holidays in 2024
- 1 January: New Year’s Day
- 28 March: Holy Thursday
- 29 March: Good Friday
- 30 March: Easter Sunday
- 1 April: Easter Monday
- 1 May: International Workers’ Day
- 9 May: Ascension Day
- 17 May: Constitution Day
- 19 May: Pentecost Sunday
- 20 May: Pentecost Monday
- 25 December: Christmas Day
- 26 December: Boxing day