| Easter holiday - Paasvakantie (beginning) - Friday April 2, 2021 School holidays :
|
| Passover - Saturday April 3, 2021 cards/flowers : Deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt. The Seder service on the first two evenings recounts the story of the Exodus NOT a public holiday
|
| Easter - Sunday April 4, 2021 Catholic or protestant : Not a paid holiday
|
| Easter Monday - Monday April 5, 2021 Catholic or protestant : In the year 325, the Council of Nicée determined a date fo Easter. Full Moon would fall the 14th day of a moon month (1). Easter would be marked by the dominical letter(2)and the epactus(3). With the establishment of the equinox ne variatur on March 21, algorithms where elaborated to attribuate a date for Easter whatever the year. Time between two consecutive new moons: 20 days 12 hours 44 minutes 2.8 - Gives a letter code for the year's calendar Age of the moon on January 1st, minus one unity, 0 being the new moon's age.
|
| Easter holiday - Paasvakantie (end) - Monday April 19, 2021 School holidays :
|
| Labor Day/May Day - Saturday May 1, 2021 Secular holiday : Chicago, Saturday May 1st, 1886: 350,000 workers go on strike to call for an 8-hour working day. Industries are paralyzed nationwide. On Monday, as demonstrations go on, the police open fire. On Tuesday, Chicago is again on strike. Following a bomb launched against them, the police shoot again. 12 dead, of which 7 policemen. 8 anarchists will be condemned and executed. In 1889, the Socialist International Movement met in Paris and declared this day international workers' day . The Soviets will follow suit, just as the Nazis. In France, under the Vichy regime (1940-1944), the celebration is renamed Labour Day .
|
| Regional holiday - Saturday May 1, 2021 Secular holiday : Https://fetedeliris.brussels/ in Brussels only - lasts 4 days 2020 edition confirmed
|
| Mother's Day - Sunday May 9, 2021 cards/flowers : Probably linked with a celebration in England in the 1600s ( Mothering Sunday ). Honored all mothers in England. Mothering Sunday gave poor servants who lived and worked for the wealthy a day off to actually go home and dedicate time to their mothers. Mothering Cake , a special cake, was common for the celebration.
|
| Ascension holiday - Hemelvaart (beginning) - Wednesday May 12, 2021 School holidays : some schools may work on Friday
|
| Ascension - Thursday May 13, 2021 Catholic or protestant : Forty days after Easter, always on a Thursday. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared before his disciples and gathered them to tell them to baptize and spread the good word. He then ascended to heaven on a cloud.
|
| Bruges Holy Blood procession - Thursday May 13, 2021 Culture : Sanguis Christi
|
| End of Ramadan (may be changed to the nearest day) - Thursday May 13, 2021 cards/flowers : The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful NOT a public holiday [Wikipedia]
|
| Banks are closed - Friday May 14, 2021 Banks only :
|
| Ascension holiday - Hemelvaart (end) - Monday May 17, 2021 School holidays :
|
| Pentecost holiday (beginning) - Friday May 21, 2021 School holidays :
|
| Pentecost - Sunday May 23, 2021 Catholic or protestant : Not a paid holiday
|
| Whit Monday - Monday May 24, 2021 Catholic or protestant : Seven weeks after Easter Monday -Marking the day the Holy Spirit entered the disciples left behind and the beginning of their ministry.
|
| Pentecost holiday (end) - Tuesday May 25, 2021 School holidays :
|
| Fathers' Day - Sunday June 13, 2021 cards/flowers : except in Antwert
|
| Summer holiday (beginning) - Thursday July 1, 2021 School holidays :
|
| Flemish community Day (state of Flanders only) - Sunday July 11, 2021 Secular holiday : Applies to the Flemish-speaking civil servants Celebrates the Battle of the Golden Spurs (11 July 1302)
|
| International Street Theatre Festival - Friday July 16, 2021 Culture : Lasts 5 days -
www.gentsefeesten.be in Ghent 2021 edition confirmed (provided the Covid epidemics is stopped)
|
| National Day - Wednesday July 21, 2021 Secular holiday : Celebrates the 1831 separation from the Netherlands, as well as the formal establishment of the kingdom. Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg was crowned and supported the constitution drawn up by National Congress. Paid holiday when falling on Sunday (Labour law 4 Jan 1974)
|