Is today a public holiday in Norway?

Norwegian Public Holidays Act, 'Røde Dager', 17 May Rules & Annual Leave Planning

In Norway, official public holidays are universally known as røde dager ("red days") because they are printed in red ink alongside Sundays on traditional Norwegian calendars. However, Norwegian law divides these red days across two distinct statutory acts: religious public holidays are governed by the Act Relating to Public Holidays and Public Holiday Peace (Lov om helligdager og helligdagsfred, LOV-1995-02-24-12), whereas the two national civic holidays—Labour Day (1 May) and Constitution Day (17 May)—are regulated separately under the Act on 1 and 17 May as Public Holidays (Lov om 1. og 17. mai som høgtidsdager, LOV-1947-04-26-1).

What 'Røde Dager' Mean in Practice: Statutory Holidays vs. Eves

Section 2 of Lov om helligdager og helligdagsfred establishes 10 named Christian public holidays across the calendar year: New Year's Day (Første nyttårsdag, 1 January), Maundy Thursday (Skjærtorsdag), Good Friday (Langfredag), Easter Sunday (Første påskedag), Easter Monday (Andre påskedag), Ascension Day (Kristi himmelfartsdag), Whit Sunday (Første pinsedag), Whit Monday (Andre pinsedag), Christmas Day (Første juledag, 25 December), and St. Stephen's Day / Boxing Day (Andre juledag, 26 December). On these dates, strict "holiday peace" (helligdagsfred) applies from 00:00 to 24:00, general retail shops close, and Sunday work restrictions under Arbeidsmiljøloven § 10-10 take effect.

A critical distinction for residents and international employers is how Norwegian law treats holiday eves (aftener):

• Christmas Eve (Julaften, 24 December), Easter Eve (Påskeaften), and Pentecost Eve (Pinseaften): These are not full-day statutory public holidays. However, under Arbeidsmiljøloven § 10-10 (1), statutory Sunday/holiday work restrictions begin at 15:00 on Christmas Eve, Easter Eve, and Pentecost Eve (and at 18:00 on ordinary Saturdays and the eves of other red days).
• New Year's Eve (Nyttårsaften, 31 December) & Wednesday Before Easter (Onsdag før skjærtorsdag): Under statute, 31 December is an ordinary working day until 18:00. In practice, however, Norwegian collective bargaining agreements (tariffavtaler in the state, municipal, and NHO/LO sectors) and white-collar contracts almost universally treat 24 December and 31 December as paid days off or half-days ending at 12:00, and grant a half-day on the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday.

Constitution Day (17 May) & Labour Day (1 May): The Høytidsdager Rules

Norway's National Day, Constitution Day (Grunnlovsdagen, 17 May), commemorates the signing of the Eidsvoll Constitution in 1814 and is celebrated nationwide with children's parades (barnetog) and traditional bunad attire. Together with 1 May (Arbeidernes dag), it is regulated by the 1947 Act on 1 and 17 May rather than the church holiday law:

• Mandatory Paid Day Off: Under Section 3 of the 1947 Act and its implementing regulation, employers must pay full regular wages to employees who would normally have been at work on 1 May or 17 May, provided the date does not fall on a Sunday or another public holiday (and the employee has been employed for at least 30 consecutive days).
• Statutory Wage Supplement for Holiday Work: If business necessity requires an employee to work on 1 May or 17 May, the 1947 Act mandates a minimum 50% statutory pay supplement on top of regular hourly wages—even where no collective agreement exists—unless a higher rate (commonly 100%) is set by tariffavtale.
• 2026 vs. 2027 Calendar Impact for 17 May: In 2026, 17 May falls on a Sunday. Because Norway has no Monday rollover law, the holiday coincides with the normal Sunday rest day and Monday 18 May 2026 is a regular workday. In 2027, 17 May falls on a Monday—and coincides with Whit Monday (Andre pinsedag), creating a 3-day weekend (15–17 May 2027) where two red days overlap on the same Monday.

Easter (Påske), Ascension Day & Annual Leave Planning (Ferieloven)

Because both Maundy Thursday (Skjærtorsdag) and Good Friday (Langfredag) are statutory public holidays in Norway, the Norwegian Easter break (påskeferie) automatically spans five consecutive non-working days (Thursday to Monday) every spring—2 to 6 April in 2026, and 25 to 29 March in 2027.

Under the Norwegian Holiday Act (Ferieloven § 5), statutory annual leave is calculated in virkedager (working days, which include Saturdays). Every employee is legally entitled to 25 virkedager (4 weeks + 1 day, or 21 Monday–Friday days), while employees covered by collective agreements (avtalefestet ferie) receive 30 virkedager (5 full weeks, or 25 Monday–Friday days):

Banking Clearing (Norges Bank NBO & NICS) and Euronext Oslo Børs

Wholesale interbank settlement in Norwegian kroner (NOK) is operated by Norges Bank's Settlement System (NBO) alongside the Norwegian Interbank Clearing System (NICS, managed by Bits AS). Both NBO and NICS pause batch clearing on all statutory weekday røde dager, as well as on Christmas Eve (24 December) and New Year's Eve (31 December). Retail peer-to-peer payments via Vipps and NICS Real continue processing 24/7/365.

On the securities side, Euronext Oslo Børs halts all equity and derivatives trading on New Year's Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, 17 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Christmas Eve (24 December), Christmas Day (25 December), St. Stephen's Day (26 December), and New Year's Eve (31 December), and operates a shortened half-day trading session on the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday (1 April 2026 and 24 March 2027).