Christmas Day in Gabon

Legal status and time off

A Journal Officiel decree names December 25, Christmas, among Gabon’s legal holidays. It says legal holidays are normally non-working and paid, and that workers required to work on one receive pay for the work as well as the holiday compensation.[1]

The current Labour Code assigns the list of holidays and rules for payment or recovery of hours worked on those days to a decree. A Ministry of Employment communiqué identifies a later decree from 1998, amended in 2004, as the framework for public holidays; it describes holidays declared across the country as non-working and paid.[2][4]

These provisions establish a paid holiday for workers covered by the rules, but they do not establish that every workplace closes. The law also allows exceptions for work on a holiday, so essential or continuous services may still operate. Check with individual providers about opening hours.[1][2]

Religious meaning and observance

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus in Christian belief. A report by Gabon’s national press agency describes the holiday in Gabon as primarily a religious celebration of Jesus’ coming to earth.[3]

A report by Gabon’s national press agency documented one congregation’s celebration on Christmas Eve in 2021. Children wore red and white Christmas shirts, and the event included songs, dancing, food prepared by parents and gifts. Because of pandemic precautions and a curfew at the time, that congregation held its celebration during the day; this account is a snapshot of one church and that particular period, not a nationwide schedule or custom.[3]

Planning for the holiday

The holiday is generally non-working and paid for workers covered by the rules, and the law allows work exceptions. Check directly with a provider before making plans.[1][2][4]