This publication will discuss the holidays in Cyprus in 2023. We will give the exact dates of public and unofficial, secular and religious holidays. Let’s explain their meaning and tell you what they are about.
There are 17 public holidays in Cyprus in 2023. Each of them is a non-working day. out of 17 official holidays: 6 are secular, 11 are religious. The official religion of Cyprus is Orthodox Christianity. But the dates of the holidays are somewhat different from the Orthodox.
Some holidays in Cyprus are celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, others according to the Julian calendar. In this publication, we have listed all religious holidays in Cyprus in 2023. For convenience, we have highlighted public holidays in bold.
IMPORTANT! Each community or parish has its own patron saint. The local administration may arrange festive events on the day of the patron saint. As a rule, schools are closed on this date and students do not have classes.
January
New Year – January 1, 2023, Sunday.
Epiphany – January 6, 2023, Friday.
Three Saints (Charter Day) – January 30, 2023, Monday.
February
Tsiknopempti – February 16-26, 2023, from Thursday to Sunday, unofficial holidays.
Green Monday — February 27, 2023, Monday.
What is Tsiknopempti?
The Tsiknopempti Festival is the Cypriot analogue of Maslenitsa or Pancake Week. It lasts 11 days, during which the Cypriots eat a lot of meat, drink wine and hold entertainment events. Some joke that on Tsiknopempti the Cypriots try to eat enough meat to digest it for the next 40 days (during Lent).
What and how is celebrated on Green Monday?
Green Monday, also known as Katara Deftera, is a public holiday celebrated in Cyprus on the first day of Orthodox Lent. The holiday marks the beginning of Lent, which is 40 days long. In some countries this holiday is called Clean Monday.
Green Monday is a day for outdoor family activities such as picnics and kite flying, with traditional meals that are usually vegan or vegetarian such as lagan bread, olives, vegetables and fruits. It is also customary to fly kites on Green Monday, symbolizing freedom from sin and the coming of spring.
March
Greek Independence Day — March 25, 2023, Saturday.
April
Cyprus National Day – April 1, 2023, Saturday.
Good Friday (Catholic) – April 14, 2023, Friday, unofficial holiday.
Great Saturday (Catholic) – April 15, 2023, Saturday, unofficial holiday.
Easter (Catholic) – April 16, 2023, Sunday, unofficial holiday.
Easter Monday (Catholic) – April 17, 2023, Monday, unofficial holiday.
Good Friday (Orthodox) – April 14, 2023, Friday.
Great Saturday (Orthodox) – April 15, 2023, Saturday.
Easter (Orthodox) – April 16, 2023, Sunday.
Easter Monday (Orthodox) – April 17, 2023, Monday.
Easter Tuesday (Orthodox, only for banks) – April 18, 2023, Tuesday.
May
Labor Day – May 1, 2023, Monday.
Remembrance Day of the Greek Genocide of Anatolia – May 19, 2023, Friday, unofficial commemoration date.
Ascension of Christ – May 25, 2023, Thursday, unofficial holiday.
The Anatolia Greek Genocide, also known as the Pontic Genocide, refers to the systematic extermination of ethnic Greeks in the Ottoman Empire and later in Turkey during and after World War I. This series of murders resulted in the deaths of more than 350,000 Greeks who had lived in what is now Turkey for thousands of years.
The massacre began with deportations and killings in 1914 and continued until the early 1920s, when the Turkish military forces finally ousted the Greek population. The distribution of property left behind by the slain Greeks was a vital factor in encouraging Muslim families to participate in these activities.
June
Pentecost (Orthodox Holy Monday) – June 5, 2023, Monday.
August
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin – August 15, 2023, Tuesday.
October
Cyprus Independence Day – October 1, 2023, Sunday.
Ohi Day is October 28, 2023, Saturday.
Halloween – October 31, 2023, Tuesday, unofficial holiday.
What is celebrated on Ohi Day?
Ohi Day in Cyprus is a national holiday commemorating the Greek resistance to Italian fascism during World War II. On October 28, 1940, Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas defied Mussolini’s demand to allow the Axis powers to occupy Greece with a resounding “Ochi” (No), an act that embodied Greece’s resilience and determination to resist foreign oppression. In Cyprus, Ohi Day is celebrated with parades and ceremonies throughout the island, paying tribute to the courage of Greece at this turning point in history.
December
Saint Nicholas Day – December 6, 2023, Wednesday, unofficial holiday.
Christmas Eve — December 24, 2023, Sunday, unofficial holiday.
Christmas — December 25, 2023, Monday.
Boxing Day (2nd day of Christmas) – December 26, 2023, Tuesday.
New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2023, Sunday, unofficial holiday.
List of public holidays in Cyprus in 2023
January 1, 2023, Sunday — New Year.
January 6, 2023, Friday – Epiphany.
February 27, 2023, Monday – Green Monday.
Saturday 25 March 2023 is Greek Independence Day.
April 1, 2023, Saturday – National Day of Cyprus.
April 14, 2023, Friday – Good Friday (Orthodox).
April 15, 2023, Saturday – Holy Saturday (Orthodox).
April 16, 2023, Sunday – Easter (Orthodox).
April 17, 2023, Monday – Easter Monday (Orthodox).
April 18, 2023, Tuesday — Easter Tuesday (Orthodox, banks only).
May 1, 2023, Monday – Labor Day.
June 5, 2023, Monday – Pentecost (Orthodox Holy Monday).
August 15, 2023, Tuesday – Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
October 1, 2023, Sunday – Cyprus Independence Day.
October 28, 2023, Saturday – Ohi Day.
December 25, 2023, Monday — Christmas.
Tuesday 26 December 2023 – Boxing Day (2nd day of Christmas).
List of unofficial holidays in Cyprus 2023
January 30, 2023, Monday – Three Saints (Charter Day).
February 16-26, 2023, Monday to Sunday – Tsiknopempti.
April 7, 2023, Friday – Good Friday (Catholic).
April 8, 2023, Saturday – Holy Saturday (Catholic).
April 9, 2023, Sunday – Easter (Catholic).
April 10, 2023, Monday – Easter Monday (Catholic).
Friday 19 May 2023 – Day of Remembrance of the Greek Genocide of Anatolia.
May 25, 2023, Thursday – Ascension of Christ.
October 31, 2023, Tuesday – Halloween.
December 6, 2023, Wednesday – St. Nicholas Day.
December 24, 2023, Sunday – Christmas Eve.
December 31, 2023, Sunday – New Year’s Eve.
Holiday calendar 2023 in Cyprus
Holidays in Cyprus 2023. Designations: red – public holiday, blue – unofficial holiday.
In this publication, All-Holidays.Info told about the holidays in Cyprus in 2023. They gave the exact dates of public and unofficial holidays. We hope you have found the information you are interested in. Don’t forget to share this post with your friends!
