The Executive Yuan approved a draft bill regarding memorial days and festivals May 20, putting the celebration of holidays and principles for making up work on a legal footing.
National holidays are now determined by an executive order by the Cabinet. As the issue of whether certain holidays should be granted time off or made up with extra workdays impinges on the average citizen, affects government and business operations, and often incites controversy, it was decided that the system should be written into law.
The bill stipulates that except for Lunar New Year’s Eve and the following three days, other official holidays including Jan. 1, Peace Memorial Day Feb. 28, Children’s Day April 4, folk festivals—Tomb-sweeping Day, the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival—and Double Tenth National Day Oct. 10 will all be celebrated with one day off.
This arrangement will prevent the difference in the number of holidays in a year for public servants and laborers from expanding, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Over the next 20 years the average number of annual holidays will be 113.2, the MOI said.
Women’s Day March 8 and other memorial days and festivals will not be holidays. If Children’s Day happens to fall on the same day as Tomb-sweeping Day, there will be just one day off.
The bill also specifies that when folk festivals fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, the adjacent Monday or Friday will be a day off and will be made up on another day. Under this arrangement, in the future Lunar New Year holidays will last either nine or six consecutive days—including the adjoining weekend—with workdays to be made up.
Under the current system, a weekday can be taken off work for folk festivals falling on weekends, while in the draft bill this would apply only to Lunar New Year’s Eve.
The bill draws on the existing executive order to set out the names and dates of memorial days and festivals, adding Environment Day June 6, Indigenous Peoples' Day Aug. 1 and seasonal festivals of indigenous peoples.
On such seasonal festivals, members of the group celebrating them will have one day off. As these festivals come at different times for different communities, and may change yearly, the Council of Indigenous Peoples will consult with each group and publicly announce the official holidays.
The MOI said in line with the principles of religious freedom and equality, religious holidays are not included in the bill, and are left to religious groups to celebrate in their own way. Article 11 of the draft bill, however, provides a mechanism by which relevant agencies can arrange for celebrations or related activities when needed.
If the bill passes the Legislature without a hitch, it is expected to take effect next Jan. 1. (THN)