Feasts & Holidays in Beirut
The feasts, holy days and national holidays Beirut keeps across its communities — the next date of each, and the days banks, schools and offices close.
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The feasts, holy days and national holidays Beirut keeps across its communities — the next date of each, and the days banks, schools and offices close.
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The feasts, holy days and national holidays Beirut keeps, across its communities — the next date of each worked out for you. Muslim and Christian observances sit side by side, in the order they come round through the year, with the days banks, schools and offices close.
Beirut has always been a city of many communities living street by street — Sunni and Shia Muslims; Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Melkite and Armenian Christians; and Druze. Its calendar runs on several religious reckonings at once, so this page keeps every community's days in one place, in the order they come round through the year.
Next · In 16 days
ChristianFeast of the Assumption (Eid al-Sayyida)
Saturday, 15 August 2026 · across the churches
The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Mary on 15 August — one of the largest Christian feasts in Lebanon and a national holiday.
Wednesday, 26 August 2026
expected — the confirmed day is set by the new moon
The birth of the Prophet Muhammad. The date shown is the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, the day kept in Sunni practice and observed as the national holiday; Shia communities mark it five days later, on the 17th. An official national holiday.
Monday, 14 September 2026 · across the churches
The finding of the True Cross, kept on 14 September, traditionally with bonfires lit across the hills at dusk.
A religious feast, not one of Lebanon's official public holidays — banks and offices stay open.
Sunday, 22 November 2026
22 November, marking the end of the French Mandate in 1943. An official national holiday, with the main ceremonies held in Beirut.
How these dates work
Each date is worked out forward from today, so this page stays right without updates. Christian feasts on a fixed day, and the two Easters, are exact. Islamic dates — Ashura, the Eids, Ramadan, the Islamic New Year — are set by sighting the new moon and announced by a religious authority, so the day shown is the expected one and can fall a day either side (Sunni and Shia authorities may announce different days). Confirm the day with your mosque, church or the official holiday list, and confirm the hours and whether a given year’s event runs with the host.
Fuller calendars: Lebanon public holidays — the official national holiday list, updated each year
Town Tools builds free, public tools for Beirut and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.
Friday, 25 December 2026 · across the churches
The Nativity on 25 December, kept by most of Beirut's churches and a national holiday.
Friday, 1 January 2027
The first of January, an official national holiday. Banks, schools and public offices close.
Wednesday, 6 January 2027 · across the churches
The Baptism of Christ on 6 January, a national holiday closing the Christmas season. It is also the day the Armenian Apostolic Church, well represented in Beirut, keeps Christmas itself.
Monday, 8 February 2027
expected — the confirmed day is set by the new moon
The first day of fasting. Through Ramadan the daytime fast runs from Imsak to Maghrib, and the rhythm of the day shifts to the evening iftar. The exact start depends on the sighting of the new moon.
Tuesday, 9 February 2027 · Maronite Church
The feast of Saint Maron, father of the Maronite Church, and a national holiday in Lebanon.
10–12 March 2027
expected — the confirmed day is set by the new moon
The feast that ends Ramadan (1 Shawwal), kept over three days of visiting, sweets and family. An official national holiday.
Thursday, 25 March 2027 · a shared Christian–Muslim holiday
The Annunciation to Mary, honoured in both traditions — Mary (Maryam) is named more than thirty times in the Qur'an. Lebanon has kept 25 March as a joint Christian–Muslim national holiday since 2010, and it is the country's clearest shared day.
Friday, 26 March 2027 · Catholic, Maronite & Melkite
The Friday of the Passion in the Western reckoning, kept by Beirut's Catholic, Maronite and Melkite Greek Catholic communities. A national holiday.
Sunday, 28 March 2027 · Catholic, Maronite & Melkite
The Resurrection in the Gregorian reckoning followed by the churches in communion with Rome — the Maronites, the Melkite Greek Catholics and the Latin Catholics.
Friday, 30 April 2027 · Greek Orthodox & Armenian
The Friday of the Passion in the Julian reckoning kept by Beirut's Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic communities. In some years it falls the same week as the Western date; in others, weeks apart.
Saturday, 1 May 2027
International Workers' Day, 1 May, an official national holiday.
Sunday, 2 May 2027 · Greek Orthodox & Armenian
The Resurrection in the Julian reckoning followed by the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Lebanon recognises both Easter dates as holidays.
Thursday, 6 May 2027
6 May, commemorating the nationalists executed in Beirut and Damascus by the Ottoman authorities in 1916 — the day gives Martyrs' Square its name. An official national holiday.
17–20 May 2027
expected — the confirmed day is set by the new moon
The feast of the sacrifice (10 Dhu al-Hijjah), coinciding with the Hajj, kept over four days. An official national holiday, observed by Muslim and Druze communities alike.
Sunday, 6 June 2027
expected — the confirmed day is set by the new moon
The first of Muharram opens the Hijri year and the ten days that lead to Ashura. An official national holiday.
Tuesday, 15 June 2027 · Shia communities
expected — the confirmed day is set by the new moon
The tenth of Muharram, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein at Karbala — the defining communal observance of Shia Beirut. It is marked by majalis (mourning gatherings and sermons), black dress and elegies, and processions. It is preceded by Tasu'a on the 9th. An official national holiday.
Expect mourning gatherings and, in the southern suburbs, processions on the 9th and 10th, with some streets closed to traffic.