According to new research, some nations are far more lucky than others and enjoy up to a month’s worth of annual public holidays.
The holiday car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have identified the best places to live around the world for those trying to bank as many days off as possible.
The experts conducted a research online and found out which countries celebrate the most national holidays in 2022, based on information provided by Office Holidays.
Employees are entitled to time off for a wide range of occasions, including holidays, memorial days, religious traditions, and historical events and the number of days off that employees receive varies greatly around the world.
A spokesperson for StressFreeCarRental.com said: “Some countries are very generous with how many days off they grant for their employers.
“If you’re going for a holiday, then it’s good to familiarise yourself with the cultural calendar of your chosen destination in order to plan your trip more efficiently.
“It’s useful to know if you should be expecting any public holidays while you’re abroad, because it can mean that a lot of places will be closed for days.
“If you’re considering relocating, this list may help you decide which countries are best when you want to kick back and get paid for doing nothing.”
Here is StressFreeCarRental.com‘s list of countries with the highest number of public holidays in 2022:
- Myanmar – 30
The first place goes to Myanmar, where you can receive a full month’s worth of paid free days in a year to celebrate different holidays. One of the biggest occasions in Myanmar is the water festival Thingyan in the middle of April, which is also the hottest time of the year. In 2022 Thingyan was celebrated for eight consecutive days.
- Sri Lanka – 29
Sri Lanka is not far off from the first place holder and offers its workers 29 public holidays per year. Their public holiday calendar is filled with Poya holidays, which occur every full moon, thus they have at least one day off per month. They commemorate significant Buddhist events, and during Poya, the sale of alcohol, meat, and fish is forbidden.
- Iran and Nepal – 27
The third place is shared between two countries – Iran and Nepal. Novruz, or the Iranian new year, is celebrated for two weeks in the spring. An interesting fact about the public holidays in Nepal is that there is a day off dedicated solely for women. The Haritalika Teej festival is a day when Nepalese Hindu women all around the country fast, worship Lord Shiva, sing, and dance.
- Azerbaijan – 25
Like in Iran, Azerbaijanis also celebrate Novruz, which is the Persian New Year that marks the beginning of spring. By law, workers must receive five days off from work for Novruz. Azerbaijanis celebrate the Gregorian New Year at the beginning of January in addition to the Persian New Year, so they are given an additional four days off from work for that as well.
- Egypt, Bangladesh and Lebanon – 23
Those three countries share the same number of public holidays and since Islam is the predominant religion in all three nations, they all celebrate the most significant feast in the Muslim calendar. The three-day Feast of Sacrifice, or Eid al-Adha, which is commemorated in July, honours the sacrifices made by Prophet Abraham for God. Besides having a feast with their loved ones, another important tradition is donating money, food and clothes to the poor.
- Philippines – 22
In the Philippines there are two types of holidays – regular holidays and special non-working days. One example of a special non-working day is the Chinese New Year, which isn’t an automatically paid holiday for everyone, but those who work on the day are entitled to 30 per cent extra pay. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are also special non-working days.
- Cambodia and Argentina – 21
Southeast Asian nation Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy and Buddhism is the most popular religion there. This may be seen in the country’s public holidays, many of which are dedicated to the monarchy or Buddhism. One of the royal holidays is the King’s Mother’s birthday on June 18th. In Argentina however you can get two days off from work because of the annual carnival. The festival marks the start of Lent, which is a 40-day-period when many Argentines refrain from eating meat on Fridays.
