The year’s holidays by date, what is closed on them and the school breaks: government offices, banks, shops and schools each keep a different list, and that is where people go wrong.
Where to start and what comes next
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Holiday dates
Every holiday of the year with its weekday, and whose day off it is: a civil servant’s, a bank’s, a shop worker’s or a private employee’s.
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What is open on a holiday
A holiday does not always mean the shop is shut. Bakeries and kiosks may always open, while banks and offices close on different days.
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School breaks
Primary and secondary schools have different start, end and break dates, and primary schools also take the local parish saint’s day.
How it works
Holidays in Cyprus start with the question of whose list you need. There is no single list: government offices, banks and shops close under different laws, and not all their days match. On Christmas Eve offices are closed but banks work, on Easter Tuesday it is the other way round, and on the second of January only shops are closed.
A holiday that falls at the weekend is not moved, and the Easter days follow Orthodox Easter. Schools keep their own calendar: primary and secondary breaks start and end on different days, and gymnasiums and lyceums finish lessons several weeks earlier.
What is most often misunderstood
- There is no single list of holidays: on Christmas Eve government offices close but banks work, on Easter Tuesday it is the other way roundPublic holidays in Cyprus 2026–2028: which days are off
- A holiday does not mean the shop is shut: on Green Monday, 25 March and Good Friday the law does not close itWhat is open on public holidays in Cyprus: shops, banks and offices
- Not every holiday means a day off: 30 January and 1 May 2027 fall on a Saturday, and 17 November is a school daySchool holidays in Cyprus 2026/27: dates for primary and secondary
Common situations
- Need a bank on Easter Tuesday: banks are closed, although government offices workPublic holidays in Cyprus 2026–2028: which days are off
- A holiday falls on a Sunday: there will be no Monday off insteadPublic holidays in Cyprus 2026–2028: which days are off
- Need groceries on Good Friday: an ordinary shop may open until the eveningWhat is open on public holidays in Cyprus: shops, banks and offices
- One child at a gymnasium, a younger one at primary: their breaks end on different daysSchool holidays in Cyprus 2026/27: dates for primary and secondary