When is New Year’s Day?
In 2026, New Year’s Day falls on Thursday, January 1, 2026. It is classified here as a paid public holiday.
History of New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is the January 1 civil-calendar holiday in Morocco’s national list. It exists alongside the Islamic New Year and Amazigh New Year, three legally distinct dates that reflect different calendars rather than three versions of one religious festival.
Urban celebrations may include restaurant events and midnight gatherings on December 31, while other households treat January 1 mainly as rest or family time. The legal holiday does not prescribe celebration, and it should not be confused with the school year or with Morocco’s official religious calendar.
New Year’s Day is a paid, non-working holiday under Morocco’s public-administration Decree 2-77-169 as amended; paid holidays for covered agricultural and non-agricultural employment are governed by Decree 2-04-426 and Labour Code Articles 217–223. The decrees do not create an automatic Monday substitute when a holiday falls at the weekend. A bridge or exceptional closure requires a separate decision, as the Government issued for March 23, 2026.
How New Year’s Day is observed
Nationwide paid holiday on Thursday, January 1, 2026; Friday is an ordinary working day unless an employer or authority says otherwise.
Traditions of New Year’s Day
Community practice
People may exchange wishes, visit relatives, take a short outing or attend worship after the previous evening’s events. Customs differ by region, language, religious practice and household resources.
Public programme
Hotels, restaurants, municipalities and broadcasters may offer year-end programmes, but there is no single state ceremony for January 1. The official programme does not imply identical participation or political interpretation across Morocco.
Planning the day
Confirm January 2 opening and travel hours because Thursday placement creates no automatic bridge day. Essential services, transport and private businesses may follow their own published schedules.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Morocco official holiday calendar or legislation. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Morocco may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Moroccan public-service legal database: consolidated Decree 2-77-169, Moroccan administration ministry: working hours and public holidays, Moroccan Labour Code, including Articles 217–223 on paid holidays, Morocco national portal: national and religious holiday calendar, Encyclopaedia Britannica: history of New Year observance.
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