Assumption Day

The Assumption is the Catholic teaching that Mary, at the completion of her earthly life, was taken body and soul into heavenly glory. Pope Pius XII defined the doctrine in the 1950 apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, while August 15 had a much older liturgical history. Guinea’s law names the feast simply as Assumption and fixes it on that date every year.

Catholic parishes in Guinea may celebrate Mass, Marian prayer and local devotional programmes, but the national employment status is broader than the religious practice. Protestant Christians do not all interpret Marian doctrine in the same way, and Muslims or residents of other beliefs may treat the day as civic rest. Accurate guidance therefore separates the legal holiday shared nationwide from specifically Catholic worship.

Decree D/2022/0526 lists Assumption Day among Guinea’s legal, non-working and paid holidays across the public, private and mixed sectors. Work is suspended except in services that cannot stop. Labour Code Articles 222.6–222.7 preserve ordinary pay, prohibit recovery of the lost hours and require additional pay for covered employees who work: the hourly rate plus 60% by day or plus 100% by night. Article 2 of the 2022 decree grants a next-working-day substitute only to Independence Day, New Year’s Day and Eid al-Fitr. It does not extend that rule to Assumption Day. A Saturday or Sunday placement therefore remains on its calendar date unless a separate, valid official measure says otherwise.