This page lists 57 holidays that start with F, from “Fallas” to “Father’s Day”. The list covers religious feasts, national days, carnival seasons, harvest fairs, and a few ancient Roman festivals. You can use it to plan a trip around a local celebration, find ideas for a school project, or learn what people eat and do on each day.
Holidays are days set aside by a community, a religion, or a country to mark an event, honor a belief, or simply celebrate together. Some are very old, like “Floralia,” which Romans held in spring to honor the goddess of flowers. Others are much newer, like “Festivus,” which grew out of a 1997 TV episode.
Below you’ll find the table with the holiday name, date, country or region, traditions, and description.
Holiday: The name of each celebration, listed alphabetically, so you can quickly find a holiday you already know or spot a new one.
Date: When the holiday takes place, whether it falls on a fixed day or moves with a religious or lunar calendar.
Country/Region: The place where the holiday is observed, so you can see which celebrations are national and which belong to one city or community.
Traditions: The main customs, foods, and activities that people take part in, which helps you picture what the day looks and feels like.
Description: A short explanation of what the holiday marks, why it started, and what makes it stand out from similar celebrations.
Holidays
| Holiday | Date | Country/Region | Traditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fallas | March 15-19 | Valencia, Spain | Giant papier-mâché sculptures, daily firecracker displays, burning the figures on the final night |
| Family Day | Third Monday in February | Canada (several provinces) | Time with family, skating, community events, long weekend outings |
| Fasching | Season starts November 11; peaks the days before Ash Wednesday | Germany and Austria | Costumes, street parades, masked balls, satirical speeches, Krapfen doughnuts |
| Fasika | Date of Orthodox Easter (usually April or May) | Ethiopia and Eritrea | Midnight church service, white garments, breaking a 55-day fast with doro wat and injera |
| Fasnacht | Begins the Monday after Ash Wednesday at 4 a.m. | Basel, Switzerland | Morgestraich lantern parade, piccolo and drum bands, elaborate masks, onion tart |
| Fast of Esther | 13 Adar (February or March) | Jewish communities worldwide | Daytime fasting, special readings, giving to charity |
| Fast of Gedaliah | 3 Tishrei (September or October) | Jewish communities worldwide | Daytime fasting, penitential prayers |
| Fast of the Firstborn | 14 Nisan, the day before Passover | Jewish communities worldwide | Firstborn males fast or attend a siyum, a study-completion celebration, that lets them eat |
| Fastelavn | Sunday or Monday before Ash Wednesday | Denmark and Norway | Children in costume, hitting a barrel filled with sweets, cream-filled fastelavnsboller buns |
| Fat Thursday | Thursday before Ash Wednesday | Poland | Eating pączki doughnuts, bakery lines, family treats |
| Fat Tuesday | The day before Ash Wednesday | New Orleans and Catholic regions worldwide | Parades, masks, beads, king cake, feasting before Lent |
| Feast of Fools | Around January 1 | Medieval Western Europe, especially France | Mock church services, choosing a Lord of Misrule, rowdy singing and role reversal |
| Feast of the Assumption | August 15 | Catholic and Orthodox countries (Italy, France, Spain, Poland, Austria) | Church processions, blessing of herbs and flowers, family meals |
| Feast of the Immaculate Conception | December 8 | Italy, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, and other Catholic countries | Mass, processions, lighting candles, start of Christmas season customs |
| Feast of the Seven Fishes | December 24 | Italian and Italian-American communities | A Christmas Eve meal of seafood dishes such as baccalà, calamari, and clams |
| Feast of Tabernacles | 15 Tishrei (September or October), lasting seven days | Jewish communities worldwide | Building and eating in a sukkah, shaking the lulav and etrog |
| Feast of Weeks | 6 Sivan (May or June) | Jewish communities worldwide | Staying up all night to study Torah, eating dairy foods, decorating with greenery |
| Feast of San Gennaro | September 19 (Naples); mid-September (New York City) | Naples, Italy, and Little Italy in New York | Procession of the saint’s statue, street fairs, Italian food, the liquefaction of his blood |
| Feralia | February 21 | Ancient Rome | Offerings of food and wine at tombs, appeasing the spirits of the dead |
| Feria de Abril | Two weeks after Easter, usually April or May | Seville, Spain | Decorated casetas, flamenco dresses, sevillanas dancing, sherry, horse-drawn carriages |
| Feria de Cali | December 25-30 | Cali, Colombia | Salsa concerts, street parades, horse parades, dance competitions |
| Feria de las Flores | Early August (about 10 days) | Medellín, Colombia | Silleteros parade carrying flower arrangements on their backs, concerts, horse parades |
| Feria de Málaga | Mid-August | Málaga, Spain | Flamenco, fried fish, sweet wine, fireworks, daytime fair in the old town |
| Festa del Redentore | Third Sunday of July (celebrated the night before) | Venice, Italy | Pontoon bridge across the Giudecca Canal, decorated boats, picnics, fireworks |
| Festa della Repubblica | June 2 | Italy | Military parade in Rome, flypast of the Frecce Tricolori, flag ceremonies |
| Festa de Iemanjá | February 2 | Salvador, Brazil | White clothing, flowers and gifts thrown into the sea, drumming, dancing |
| Festa Junina | June (especially June 13-29) | Brazil | Bonfires, quadrilha square dance, rural costumes, corn dishes and sweets |
| Festivus | December 23 | United States | Aluminum pole, airing of grievances, feats of strength |
| Fête de la Musique | June 21 | France and over 120 countries | Free outdoor concerts, amateur and professional musicians playing in streets and squares |
| Fête des Lumières | December 8 (festival runs about four days) | Lyon, France | Candles in windows, large light shows on buildings, crowds in the old town |
| Fête du Citron | February to March (about two weeks) | Menton, France | Giant sculptures and parade floats covered in lemons and oranges |
| Fête du Trône | July 30 | Morocco | Royal speech, pardons, flag displays, public celebrations |
| Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) | July 14 | France | Military parade on the Champs-Élysées, fireworks, dances, picnics |
| Fête Nationale du Québec | June 24 | Quebec, Canada | Bonfires, fireworks, fleur-de-lis flags, concerts, parades |
| Fêtes de Bayonne | Late July or early August (five days) | Bayonne, France | Red and white outfits, bull runs, street music, parades |
| Fête des Vignerons | About four times per century (last held in 2019) | Vevey, Switzerland | Elaborate pageant honoring wine growers, huge outdoor arena show, costumed performers |
| Fettisdagen | Tuesday before Ash Wednesday | Sweden | Eating semlor, cream-filled cardamom buns |
| Fiesta de la Tirana | July 12-18 (peak on July 16) | Tarapacá region, Chile | Costumed dance troupes, devil masks, religious processions, music |
| Fiesta de la Vendimia | Early March | Mendoza, Argentina | Grape harvest parade, crowning of a harvest queen, blessing of the fruit, fireworks |
| Fiesta de San Fermín | July 6-14 | Pamplona, Spain | Running of the bulls, white clothes with a red scarf, parades, fireworks |
| Fiesta Nacional de España | October 12 | Spain | Military parade in Madrid, royal reception, flag ceremonies |
| Fiesta San Antonio | April (about 10 days) | San Antonio, Texas, United States | Parades, Battle of Flowers, river parade, street food, coronation |
| Fiestas del Pilar | Around October 12 | Zaragoza, Spain | Flower offering to the Virgin of the Pilar, parades of giants and big-heads, concerts |
| Fiestas de San Isidro | May 15 (festival lasts about two weeks) | Madrid, Spain | Traditional chulapo costumes, picnics at the meadow, bullfighting season, dancing |
| Fiestas Patrias | September 18 (with September 19) | Chile | Barbecues, empanadas, cueca dancing, kite flying, fondas |
| Fiji Day | October 10 | Fiji | Cultural performances, parades, flag ceremonies, kava ceremonies |
| Finnish Independence Day | December 6 | Finland | Two blue-and-white candles in windows, torch parades, presidential reception |
| Flag Day | June 14 (United States); February 15 (Canada) | United States and Canada | Flag displays, parades, school ceremonies |
| Flora Day | May 8 | Helston, Cornwall, England | Furry Dance through town, top hats and morning dress, lily of the valley |
| Floralia | April 28 to May 3 | Ancient Rome | Flower garlands, colorful clothing, theatrical performances, games |
| Fontinalia | October 13 | Ancient Rome | Garlands placed on wells and fountains, offerings of wine |
| Fordicidia | April 15 | Ancient Rome | Sacrifice of pregnant cows, burning of calf ashes |
| Fourth of July | July 4 | United States | Fireworks, parades, barbecues, picnics, patriotic music |
| Freedom Day | April 27 | South Africa | Public ceremonies, speeches, community events, flag displays |
| Friendship Day | First Sunday in August | India, United States, and other countries | Exchanging friendship bands, cards, small gifts, meeting friends |
| Fronleichnam | 60 days after Easter (a Thursday in May or June) | Germany and Austria | Processions with the Eucharist, flower carpets, decorated altars, brass bands |
| Father’s Day | Third Sunday in June (varies by country) | United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and many other countries | Cards, gifts, family meals, barbecues |
Descriptions
Fallas
A spring festival honoring Saint Joseph. Neighborhoods build huge satirical sculptures called ninots, then set nearly all of them on fire on the night of March 19.
Family Day
A winter public holiday in provinces such as Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. It was created to give people a break between New Year’s Day and Easter and to celebrate family life.
Fasching
The German-speaking carnival season before Lent. Towns hold costume parades and parties, and in many places people symbolically take over city hall for the final days.
Fasika
The Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Easter. It ends the long Lenten fast, and families gather for a festive meal of spicy chicken stew and flatbread after the church service.
Fasnacht
Basel’s three-day carnival, held a week after most others. It opens in the dark with a lights-out parade and features cliques of costumed musicians playing piccolos and drums through the old town.
Fast of Esther
A fast observed the day before Purim. It recalls the fast Queen Esther called for before approaching the king to save the Jewish people of Persia.
Fast of Gedaliah
A dawn-to-dusk fast the day after Rosh Hashanah. It marks the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor appointed over Judah after the destruction of the First Temple.
Fast of the Firstborn
A fast kept by firstborn males on the eve of Passover. It recalls how Jewish firstborn were spared in the tenth plague of Egypt.
Fastelavn
A Scandinavian pre-Lent celebration, similar to Halloween for kids. Children dress up and take turns whacking a barrel until it breaks open, and the one who knocks down the last piece is crowned king or queen.
Fat Thursday
Called Tłusty Czwartek in Polish, this is the last Thursday before Lent. People eat as many jam-filled doughnuts as they can, and bakeries sell millions of them in a single day.
Fat Tuesday
Also called Mardi Gras, this is the last day of carnival before Lent begins. It is a day of indulgence and parades, most famously in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and Venice.
Feast of Fools
A medieval festival where lower clergy and townspeople turned church customs upside down with parody and pranks. The Church repeatedly condemned it, and it faded out by the 16th century.
Feast of the Assumption
A religious holiday honoring the Virgin Mary being taken up to heaven. It is a public holiday in many European countries and is known in Italy as Ferragosto.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
A Catholic feast celebrating the belief that Mary was conceived without original sin. It is a public holiday in many Catholic countries and often marks the unofficial start of the Christmas season.
Feast of the Seven Fishes
A Christmas Eve dinner built around fish, rooted in the Catholic tradition of avoiding meat before Christmas. The number of dishes varies by family, and seven is the usual target.
Feast of Tabernacles
Better known as Sukkot, this harvest festival recalls the Israelites’ 40 years in the desert. Families build temporary huts with leafy roofs and eat their meals in them.
Feast of Weeks
Better known as Shavuot, this festival celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the wheat harvest. Dairy dishes such as cheesecake and blintzes are the usual holiday foods.
Feast of San Gennaro
A celebration of Naples’ patron saint. The faithful gather to see whether a vial of his dried blood liquefies, which is taken as a good sign. New York’s version is an 11-day street fair.
Feralia
The last day of the Roman Parentalia, a period for honoring dead ancestors. Families left simple offerings at graves to keep the spirits of the dead at peace.
Feria de Abril
Seville’s spring fair is a week of music, dancing, and drinking in a large fairground of private tents. Many visitors wear traditional flamenco dress, and the fair opens with the lighting of thousands of lanterns.
Feria de Cali
A large end-of-year fair in the salsa capital of Colombia. Cali fills with concerts, dancers, and parades, drawing salsa fans from across Latin America.
Feria de las Flores
Medellín’s flower festival honors the region’s flower growers. The highlight is the parade of silleteros, farmers who carry huge flower displays on wooden frames strapped to their backs.
Feria de Málaga
A week-long summer fair marking the city’s reconquest in 1487. By day the old town fills with music and dancing, and by night the fairground hosts concerts and fireworks.
Festa del Redentore
A Venetian festival thanking God for the end of a plague in 1576. Locals feast on boats and the water at night, and a firework show follows over the lagoon.
Festa della Repubblica
Italy’s national day marks the 1946 referendum in which Italians voted to abolish the monarchy and become a republic. The main event is a parade along the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Festa de Iemanjá
A celebration of Iemanjá, the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea. Worshippers dressed in white leave offerings on the beach and in small boats, hoping she will carry them out to sea.
Festa Junina
Brazil’s winter harvest festival honors Saint Anthony, Saint John, and Saint Peter. Towns and schools put on country-style parties with dancing, fire, and plenty of corn-based food.
Festivus
A parody holiday popularized by an episode of the TV show Seinfeld in 1997. Celebrants gather around an undecorated pole, complain about the year’s disappointments, and wrestle.
Fête de la Musique
Started in France in 1982, this is a day when music takes over public spaces. Concerts are free, and anyone can perform, which has helped it spread to cities around the world.
Fête des Lumières
Lyon’s Festival of Lights began as a thank-you to the Virgin Mary. Residents put candles in their windows, and artists now light up the city’s buildings and squares with projections.
Fête du Citron
A winter festival in the Riviera town of Menton, famous for its lemons. Designers use hundreds of tons of citrus fruit to build large sculptures and floats.
Fête du Trône
Morocco’s Throne Day marks the king’s accession to the throne. The king gives a speech to the nation and often grants pardons to prisoners.
Fête Nationale (Bastille Day)
France’s national day recalls the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 and the national unity celebration held a year later. The day features a military parade in Paris and fireworks across the country.
Fête Nationale du Québec
Quebec’s provincial holiday, also called Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, celebrates Quebec’s culture and heritage. It lines up with the old midsummer bonfire tradition.
Fêtes de Bayonne
One of France’s biggest summer festivals. Attendees wear white with red scarves and sashes, and streets stay busy with music, dancing, and Basque-style celebrations.
Fête des Vignerons
A rare winegrowers’ festival that takes place roughly once every 20 to 25 years. It features a massive theatrical show with thousands of performers and is listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
Fettisdagen
Sweden’s Fat Tuesday is all about the semla, a sweet bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream. Bakeries produce them by the thousands, and many Swedes eat them for weeks before Easter.
Fiesta de la Tirana
A large religious festival in the northern Chilean desert that honors the Virgen del Carmen. Dancers in elaborate costumes perform for several days in the small town of La Tirana.
Fiesta de la Vendimia
Argentina’s national grape harvest festival is held in wine country. It culminates in a large open-air show with music, dancing, and fireworks.
Fiesta de San Fermín
Best known for the daily encierro, where runners dash ahead of bulls through narrow streets. The festival begins with a rocket launch from city hall and fills the city with parades and music.
Fiesta Nacional de España
Spain’s national day, also called Día de la Hispanidad, marks Columbus’s arrival in the Americas in 1492. The main event is a military parade attended by the royal family and government.
Fiesta San Antonio
A city-wide party started in 1891 to honor the heroes of the Alamo and San Jacinto. Events include several parades, including a floral parade, and a boat parade on the River Walk.
Fiestas del Pilar
Zaragoza’s patron festival honors the Virgin of the Pilar. Thousands of people bring flowers to build a large floral tribute, and the city hosts concerts, parades, and bullfights.
Fiestas de San Isidro
Madrid’s patron saint festival honors Saint Isidore the Laborer. Locals dress in traditional costumes for dances in the streets, and the bullfighting season at Las Ventas reaches its high point.
Fiestas Patrias
Chile’s independence celebrations last several days. Families gather for roasts and empanadas, dance the national dance called the cueca, and fly kites in parks.
Fiji Day
Fiji’s national day marks its independence from Britain in 1970. The week of festivities includes cultural shows, school events, and community gatherings.
Finnish Independence Day
Finland celebrates its 1917 declaration of independence from Russia with quiet traditions. Families light candles in their windows, and the president hosts a formal reception broadcast on TV.
Flag Day
The US version honors the adoption of the Stars and Stripes in 1777, and Canada’s marks the unveiling of the Maple Leaf flag in 1965. Neither is a general day off, but both are observed with flag displays.
Flora Day
A spring festival in the Cornish town of Helston, welcoming the end of winter. Dancers in formal clothing weave through streets, houses, and shops in the Furry Dance.
Floralia
A Roman spring festival honoring Flora, the goddess of flowers and blooming plants. People wore bright clothes instead of the usual white and decorated their homes with flowers.
Fontinalia
A Roman festival honoring Fons, the god of springs and fountains. People decorated wells with flowers and tossed in offerings to protect their water supply.
Fordicidia
A Roman festival for Tellus, goddess of the earth, held during the planting season. Priests sacrificed pregnant cows to encourage fertile fields and healthy crops.
Fourth of July
The US celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Families grill out, watch fireworks, and attend local parades across the country.
Freedom Day
A South African national holiday marking the first democratic elections in 1994, when all citizens could vote regardless of race. It honors the end of apartheid and the adoption of the interim constitution.
Friendship Day
A day to celebrate friends, popular in India and several other countries. People tie bracelets on friends’ wrists and send messages and gifts to mark the bond.
Fronleichnam
The German name for Corpus Christi, a Catholic feast celebrating the Eucharist. It is a public holiday in Austria and in several German states, and many towns lay out flower carpets for the procession.
Father’s Day
A day for honoring fathers and father figures. The date varies by country, and in Germany it falls on Ascension Day, when groups of men often go hiking with a wagon of drinks.