When is Our Lady of Sorrows?
In 2026, Our Lady of Sorrows falls on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. It is classified here as a Slovak public holiday.
History of Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows, Sedembolestná Panna Mária, honours Mary in her suffering and is recognised as the patroness of Slovakia. The feast has a particularly important pilgrimage centre at Šaštín, where a basilica and national shrine make the September date a major point in the country’s Catholic calendar.
The holiday has a devotional character but also a wide cultural reach through parish life, music and family travel. The Government Office lists it among the public holidays. Employment treatment can be year-specific: the National Labour Inspectorate says that September 15 is not a general day of rest under the temporary 2026 rules, so visitors and workers should check the current year’s arrangements.
Our Lady of Sorrows Day remains a holiday in Act No. 241/1993, but transitional section 4b makes it an ordinary working day specifically in 2026. The National Labour Inspectorate confirms that employers may schedule normal work and that employees need annual leave if they want the day off; statutory holiday-pay treatment nevertheless remains for work performed on the date. This is a time-limited 2026 rule, not a permanent abolition. Slovakia provides no Monday substitute when the date falls on a weekend, and the current retail-sales ban does not cover this holiday.
How Our Lady of Sorrows is observed
A national public holiday on September 15. Under current 2026 labour guidance it is not a general day of rest; pilgrimage and church activity may still be significant.
Traditions of Our Lady of Sorrows
Šaštín pilgrimage
Pilgrims travel to the national shrine in Šaštín for Masses and Marian devotion. This practice gives Our Lady of Sorrows a recognisably Slovak historical, religious or community expression.
Parish worship
Churches hold services focused on Mary’s sorrow, compassion and intercession. This practice gives Our Lady of Sorrows a recognisably Slovak historical, religious or community expression.
Family journeys
Many people combine the autumn feast with a visit to relatives or a local pilgrimage site. This practice gives Our Lady of Sorrows a recognisably Slovak historical, religious or community expression.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Slovak government and labour-law guidance. Annual legislation and employer schedules should be checked for any date-specific exceptions.
History sources: National Labour Inspectorate: May 8 and September 15 in 2026, Slov-Lex: current Act No. 241/1993 on state holidays, days of rest and memorial days, Government Office of the Slovak Republic: public holidays and memorial days, National Labour Inspectorate: 2025 consolidation changes.
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