Holidays, Celebrations, Festivals, & Events in Vatican City
The holidays in Vatican City are identical to the Holy Days of the Catholic Church, along with a couple secular holidays. First among these secular holidays is New Year's Day (January 1), which is also Mary, Mother of God Day.
Among the many Catholic Holy Days celebrated in Vatican City are the Epiphany, which falls on January 6. This is also known as Three Kings' Day and is celebrated to commemorate when people realized that Jesus was the Son of God. February 11 is Our Lady of Lourdes Day, which is dedicated to Mary and sightings of her near Lourdes, France. May 1 is also celebrated as a Holy Day; this day is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker and was first celebrated as a day off of work in the mid-1900s when other countries were already celebrating the day as "May Day" or "International Workers' Day," a day commonly celebrated by communist countries. June 29 is St. Peter & Paul Day, dedicated to two of the earliest leaders in the church. August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption, which is dedicated to the day Mary ascended into Heaven (much of Vatican City is also closed on the eve of this day, August 14). November 1 is All Saint's Day.