Which country gets the most time off at Christmas?

Christmas is celebrated differently all over the world, just look at our 10 Bizarre Christmas Traditions article. But there is one thing that most people enjoy at this time of year, and that’s the days off!  

With Christmas and New Year’s Day bank holidays, the UK gets 3 days to do as we please. But some countries are luckier than others as you’ll find out.

According to the Guardian, China gets the least days off during the season, with workers receiving a measly 1 day. Japan is slightly better, but still only receives 2 days off during the holidays. Obviously, religious practices in different areas are a major contributor to having few days off as many countries are not predominantly Christian. Every country gets New Year’s Day as a holiday.

In Europe, most countries are Christian, meaning each is more likely to have a higher number of days. As well as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, some countries also have Epiphany on 6th January. Epiphany celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist, and is the last of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Epiphany rituals in Ukraine

From their research, the Guardian found the three countries with the most official days off at Christmas are Armenia and Liechtenstein with 7 days each, then Russia takes the lead with a whopping 8 days holiday.

Armenia and Liechtenstein take two days off either side of New Year’s Day, as well having Christmas Eve to Boxing Day off. Russia, however, receives every day from New Year until Russian Orthodox Christmas Day on 7th January, giving them 8 days over the season.

St Basil’s, Moscow, Russia

Overall, Europe has a much better deal than North America, with the USA and Canada both only receiving 2 days off, the same as Japan surprisingly considering they’re both Christian countries.