Public holidays in Liberia

(Redirected from Fast and Prayer Day)

The following are public holidays in Liberia.[1]

Flags of Liberia. National Flag Day is celebrated in August

Public holidays edit

Date Name Remarks
January 1 New Year's Day
February 11 Armed Forces Day Honors the Armed Forces of Liberia[2]
Second Wednesday of March Decoration Day Day to decorate the graves of ancestors.
March 15 J.J. Roberts' Birthday Birthday of the first president of Liberia.[3]
Second Friday of April Fast and Prayer Day Established by an act of the national legislature in 1883.[4]
May 14 National Unification Day Also called “Integration Day,” the purpose is to improve relations between descendants of American slaves and members of the aboriginal population. Established 1960.[5]
July 26 Independence Day From the American Colonization Society, 1847 [6]
August 24 Flag Day The holiday was first observed in an 1847 convention, when the founding fathers approved the flag's design along with establishing the new republic.[7] It was established as a national holiday in 1915.[8]
First Thursday of November Thanksgiving Established in 1883, this is a day for prayer to thank God for being born in a free country.[9][10]
November 29 William V. S. Tubman's Birthday Birthday of the longest serving President in Liberia
December 25 Christmas

Former public holidays edit

Date Name Remarks
December 1 Matilda Newport Day Named a holiday by the Legislature of Liberia in 1916. The holiday was abolished in 1980 following the coup by Samuel Doe, due to its divisive nature.[11][12]

References edit

  1. ^ "Embassy of Liberia - Home". Liberianembassyus.org. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Armed Forces Day 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "Joseph Jenkins Roberts' Birthday 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "Friday is Fast and Prayer Day". liberianobserver.com. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  5. ^ "National Unification Day 2021, 2022 and 2023 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "Public Holidays in Liberia". TrueCalendar.com.
  7. ^ "Liberia Flag Day". Encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Liberia: Flag Day Reflections - All Hail the Lone Star, All Hail!". AllAfrica. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Thanksgiving Day 2020, 2021 and 2022 in Liberia". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Ellen declares Thursday, 2 November as National Thanksgiving Day". The New Dawn Liberia. November 1, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Sheldon, Kathleen (2005). "Newport, Matilda (c. 1795–1837)". Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Scarecrow Press. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-0-8108-6547-1.
  12. ^ Hochman, Jordana (November 9, 2010). "Liberia Dispatches 2: Matilda Newport". NPR. Retrieved December 2, 2021.