Taiwan to have 3 additional national holidays in 2nd half 2025

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) The Presidential Office issued a presidential decree Wednesday to promulgate the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays, which will take effect on Sunday, the last day of May, and add three more national holidays in the second half of the year.

The three new national holidays are Confucius' Birthday on Sept. 28 (also observed as Teacher's Day), Taiwan Retrocession Day (which marks the end of Japanese colonial rule in 1945) and the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou in Kinmen, which both fall on Oct. 25, as well as Constitution Day on Dec. 25.

Taiwan Retrocession Day commemorates the transfer of control of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan's official name) on Oct. 25, 1945, while the Battle of Guningtou, which began on the same date in 1949 on the outlying island of Kinmen, was a key ROC victory that repelled an attack by People's Republic of China (PRC) forces at the cost of around 1,000 ROC soldiers' lives.

Under the new act, which the Legislature passed on May 9, the day before Lunar New Year's Eve will also become a national holiday, as will Labor Day, which no longer applies only to laborers.

Three of the new holidays to be observed in the second half of this year -- Confucius' Birthday, Taiwan Retrocession Day and the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou, as well as Constitution Day -- fall on Sunday, Saturday, and Thursday, respectively.

However, the act does not specify which days will be make-up holidays if a national holiday falls on a weekend.

Su Chun-jung (蘇俊榮), head of the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, explained to the media on Wednesday that the government's policy on the matter will follow the principles set out in the existing regulations.

If a national holiday falls on a Saturday, the make-up day will be on the preceding Friday, and if it falls on a Sunday, it will be on the following Monday, Su said.

As for national holidays that fall on Thursday, Su said the possibility of a flexible day off is still under review, but the current stance leans toward not shifting it to avoid the need for make-up workdays.

In 2026, the day before Lunar New Year's Eve will fall on Sunday, Feb. 15, and the fourth day of the Lunar New Year -- not a holiday -- falls on Friday, Feb. 20.

Asked whether the Lunar New Year holiday could be extended to nine days by moving the make-up holiday from the day before Lunar New Year's Eve to the following Friday, Su said the government was still reviewing various options, but was currently leaning toward making that change.

Su said long holidays have broad impact across different sectors, citing examples such as a potential surge in outbound travel affecting domestic tourism and the need to coordinate with international financial markets.

He added that various factors will be considered before the proposal is submitted to Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) for approval, with the goal of announcing the official calendar for the second half of 2025 and all of 2026 by the end of June.