Public, Church and International Holidays in Bulgaria: What Is the Difference?

What each category means

Public holidays have a status set by law. They are the starting point when you check when the normal working week is interrupted and whether a longer break can be formed around a given date.

Church holidays belong to the religious calendar. They are tied to faith, worship and tradition, but on their own they do not determine working hours.

International and professional days draw attention to a cause, a social group, a profession or a topic. Marking them with a celebration, greetings or an event does not automatically make them days off.

The categories can overlap. Easter, for example, is a church feast, but the Easter holidays are also among the official non-working days. So look not only at the name of the occasion but at its status.

Which holidays are official days off?

The main list is in Article 154 of the Bulgarian Labour Code. It includes the following public holidays, which are general non-working days:

1 November — the Day of the National Awakeners — is a non-attendance day only for schools and universities, not a general day off. This distinction matters especially for parents: no classes does not automatically mean the parent has the day off work.

To check, use the current text of the Labour Code from an official source. The dates for the current year are collected on the Public holidays and days off page. Festive decorations, a municipal event or a mark in the company calendar do not replace the statutory list.

What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend?

Under Article 154(2) of the Labour Code, when a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the first one or two working days after it are days off. The Easter holidays are the exception.

With a normal Monday-to-Friday week this often means a Monday off. For example, if 6 September falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a day off under this rule.

If two public holiday days fall on Saturday and Sunday, the first two working days after them are days off. That is why around Christmas it is important to look at the whole calendar, not just one date.

The holiday itself does not move. The day off after it is a consequence of the weekend overlap, not a new date for the celebration.

Do not apply the same calculation to Easter. Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday do not give rise to extra days off under this rule.

Also check for separate Council of Ministers decisions on additional days off and make-up working days. Do not assume that every working day between a holiday and a weekend will be declared a day off.

Why are some church holidays days off and others not?

The church calendar and the calendar of non-working days serve different purposes. One sets religious celebrations; the other sets which holidays have a defined status for the organisation of work.

Christmas and Easter are days off because they are on the statutory list. Most other church holidays have no such basis. A major name day or a local church feast can matter a great deal to a family and a community without interrupting the working day.

If you want to attend a service or a family gathering, first check the status of the date. If it is a working day for you, arrange the absence with your employer instead of assuming that the religious occasion itself guarantees time off.

How do you find the date of Easter?

For the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Easter is set by the Julian calendar using the Paschal tables. That is why it has no fixed calendar date and often differs from Catholic Easter.

For practical planning you do not need to work out the Paschal date yourself. Check it in the official church calendar for the relevant year (see Easter and the church calendar), then mark the whole holiday period: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and the Monday after it.

This is especially useful when travelling abroad. The word "Easter" in a foreign calendar is not enough to assume that the break matches the Bulgarian one.

For a family booking, check the school timetable separately as well. The Easter non-working days and the school spring break should not be taken to be the same thing.

Why are 8 March and 1 June not days off?

International days prompt public attention, campaigns and celebrations, but they do not automatically create a right to a day off in Bulgaria.

8 March and 1 June are not non-working days. A Women's Day celebration or a children's event may be held on an ordinary working day. If you want to attend, fit the time around your working hours.

The same distinction helps with professional holidays. Greetings to a profession or an office celebration do not mean a general day off. For a specific organisation, check the internal schedule and the employer's announcements.

How to plan leave around holidays

Start with the official non-working days, add the days off created by weekend overlaps, and only then decide where you need to take leave. The leave planner helps with this.

For example, if a public holiday falls on a Tuesday and Monday is an ordinary working day, a day of leave on Monday can link the weekend with the holiday. This only works if Saturday and Sunday are days off in your schedule and the leave has been agreed.

For employers, it helps to keep statutory non-working days, holiday events and approved leave clearly separate in the shared calendar. That way a celebration for a professional holiday will not be read as a day off for the whole team.

Before you book or request leave

• Check the public holidays and whether they fall on a Saturday or Sunday.
• Confirm the date of Orthodox Easter for the year you need.
• Check for any applicable Council of Ministers decisions.
• Clarify your own working schedule and agree your leave.
• If you have children, check the school's announcements.
• Before any non-refundable payment, confirm that everyone involved can actually be away.