Public holidays in Craitland

Public holidays in Craitland are established through the Craitish calendar and protected by law. The five public holidays throughout the year are not treated as belonging to any of the twelve thirty-day months of the Craitish calendar, nor are they considered an additional month in combination. These holidays are enshrined as days off work for the vast majority of the nation, with all but emergency services required to close for business.

List of public holidays

This table displays the holidays in chronological order according to Gregorian date.

Holiday Craitish name	Gregorian date (Leap year date)	Notes
March's Day Märh'eń Dantär	1 April (31 March)	Cognate celebration of the vernal equinox. Its usual date of 1 April aligns with April Fools' Day, and it is often celebrated with humour and hoaxes as a result.
May's Day Mäi'eń Dantär	2 May (1 May)	Cognate of springtime celebrations May Day and Beltane, with floral decorations and fertility rituals commonplace.
Mid-Summer's Day Mid-Sómer'eń Dantär	2 July (1 July and 2 July)	Cognate celebration of the summer solstice, aligning with the midpoint day of the Gregorian calendar. On leap years, the holiday covers 48 hours and both days are celebrated as if one. Brightly coloured clothing and body paint is adorned by many to represent the season's long hours of sunlight.
New Year's Day Nju Yiiltär'eń Dantär	31 October (31 October)	Cognate of harvest celebrations such as Samhain, and welcomes the new year. The day is unique in the Craitish calendar in that it spans both the outgoing and incoming years, with the new year marked at midday. Bonfires and lanterns are lit at sundown, and a tradition akin to first-footing and trick-or-treating is undertaken by children.
Mid-Winter's Day Mid-Winter'eń Dantär	31 December (31 December)	Cognate celebration of the winter solstice. The alignment of its date with the final day of the Gregorian year means that similar celebrations, such as late-night gatherings, are regularly held. Many wear dark clothing and body paint to symbolise the long nights of the season.

Other observances

In addition to the five public holidays above, workers in Craitland are permitted to take up to five further holiday absences whenever they wish throughout the year, outside of their mandated and contractual annual leave allowance. Many religious people use these holidays on important dates to their respective faiths, while the irreligious often reserve them for family birthdays and sporting events. Some may even collate them into five consecutive days off if they so choose. This table displays some of the most commonly observed dates.

Observance Craitish name	Gregorian date (Leap year date)	Notes
Imbolc Yhmbólc	1 February (1 February)	Celebrating the start of spring. Has lost some relevance in modern Craitland but remains an important festival in Craitish paganism, where festivities include making straw figures.
Olaf's Day Ólaf'eś Dantär	29 July (29 July)	A celebration adopted from the Faroese national day of Ólavsøka, which falls on the day prior to the birthday of King Craitman, which itself is not widely celebrated throughout the nation.
Lammas Lämas	1 August (1 August)	A traditional summer harvest celebration important to Craitish pagans. Its most common ritual involves the baking of bread in the shape of important religious figures and symbols, such as the horned god and pentangle.
Frólihaanga Frólihaanga	12 December (12 December)	The Craitish national day, celebrated on the anniversary of its foundation. Although not a public holiday, its nationwide observance often renders it as such, with the vast majority of businesses closing as most workers take the day off.