Celebration

Of all countries on the globe, Cambodia tops the list for the most public holidays with 28 public holidays observed annually. Sri Lanka follows with 25, India and Kazakhstan with 21, Colombia, the Philippines and Trinidad and Tobago with 18, China and Hong Kong with 17, and Thailand, Turkey, and Pakistan with 16.

Mexico! To be fair, with 7 days, it has only one day less than the previous ones, but when you’re on a list of the fewest holidays then that gets you to first place. One of the holidays Mexico has is on October 3, Halllowe’en, but Mexicans call it Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. Rather than making themselves sick on sweets, they honour the dead. Children are honoured on All Saints Day on November 1st, and everyone else on the following day, All Souls Day. Some regions have sweet bread and candy skeletons, others hold vigils and feasts in cemeteries, and others simply build family altars or public displays.

In my country, Cuba, Labour Day is on May 1. Here we have around 7 days of holidays. In my opinion, we should have more holidays, but in comparison with Canada’s holidays they are short and poor, very different. Normally in Cuba, we don’t have long weekends, most of them can be any day of the week, always matching historical dates in Cuban history. Christmas Day on the 25th is something new, and now on September 30, Canada’s new national holiday, Day of Truth and reconciliation for all Canadian people to understand and support.