Public holidays in Sweden

For those to whom Christmas means getting glammed up, fine dining and and no washing up, a gala certainly beats cooking at home. Celebrate Christmas Eve at The Excelsior (excelsiorhotel.gr) with a luxurious dinner accompanied by live piano music in the cozy atmosphere of the Mezzanine. For reservations, call 231.002.1000. 

Today, after Epiphany, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Council of St. Prophet John the Forerunner and Baptist. The day is popular as Ivanovden in Bulgaria (Ivan's Day) and is among the holidays with the largest number people who have a name day in our country - over 347 thousand.

The 1st of May is one of the official holidays in Bulgaria and an official day off work.

It's still December, but many people are already looking at the 2022 calendar and planning around the national holidays next year.

2022 is not a leap year. Of the 365 days, 248 are working days, and 16 are public holidays. These holidays, which coincide with a day off, are offset by a day off in the first days of the following working week.

The rules based on which citizens will celebrate the holiday season and churches will operate were published in the government gazette on Tuesday.

Based on the law, which will be in effect from December 13 to January 7, 2021, gatherings at homes on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day will be limited to a maximum of nine people from two families.

The government on Friday announced limited reopening measures for the Christmas holidays amid pressure from the country's high epidemiological burden.

Retailers will operate in the form of online ordering and collections from the store, without customers entering the stores (known as curbside pick-up or click-and-collect service) from December 13 - January 7.

The ministries of Religion and Health have extended the closure of all places of worship in Greece through April 28, according to a decision published on Thursday.

The initial measure, which was aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus among congregations of all faiths, foresaw the closure of places of worship until April 20, a day after Greek Orthodox Easter.

Participants pose for a photo during the annual bell-bearing tradition in the village of Kali Vrisi in the region of Drama, northern Greece. Every winter, following the Orthodox Church's celebration of the Epiphany, locals in several villages across the Balkans perform such animalistic masquerades and ritual dances to ward off evil spirits and awaken the coming spring.

In North Macedonia, the Christmas celebrations began on January 5, the night before Christmas Eve, with bonfire nights organised across the country. This one took place in the capital, Skopje. Photo: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI

On December 25 we celebrate Christmas, also known as Nativity of Jesus, Bozhik or Bozhich. This is one of the greatest church holidays in the Christian world.

Today's name day celebrates everyone who bears the names -