Good Friday in Lesotho
Good Friday is a public holiday in Lesotho, where the law provides employees with a paid day off. It falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday and commemorates Jesus Christ’s Passion and death in Christian tradition.[1][2][4]
Legal status and the day off
Lesotho’s Public Holidays Act 1995 lists Good Friday among the public holidays observed in the country. The Act also allows the King, acting on the advice of the Minister responsible for Home Affairs, to appoint an additional public holiday by notice in the Gazette.[1]
The Labour Code Order provides employees with a day off with pay on a public holiday. If an employee works that day, the Code provides for double the ordinary wage rate or, by agreement, the normal rate plus a paid day off in lieu.[2]
Meaning and Lesotho’s Christian history
For Christians, Good Friday recalls the Passion and death of Jesus Christ. The Vatican describes it as a day of penance, fasting and prayer, with liturgies commemorating the Passion and the Cross.[4]
Christianity has a long history in Lesotho. The Government of Lesotho reports that missionaries Eugene Casalis and Thomas Arbousset were the first Christian missionaries reported to arrive in the country, in 1833.[3]
Planning around the holiday
The Public Holidays Act names Good Friday but does not set out a routine substitute day for it. It does give the King, on ministerial advice, authority to appoint an additional holiday by Gazette notice.[1]
Check opening hours with government offices and banks before you go. Shops and transport services set their own hours, so check with the service or business before travelling.[1][2]
Good Friday in Lesotho: questions and answers
Is Good Friday a public holiday in Lesotho?
Yes. The Public Holidays Act lists Good Friday as a public holiday in Lesotho.[1]
Do employees get the day off?
The Labour Code provides employees with a paid day off on a public holiday. If they work, it provides for double pay or, by agreement, normal pay plus a paid day off in lieu.[2]
Are shops, banks and transport services open?
Is there a substitute day if Good Friday falls on a day off?
The Public Holidays Act does not state a routine substitute-day rule for Good Friday. It allows an additional public holiday to be appointed by Gazette notice on the King’s authority and ministerial advice.[1]
Sources and references
Sources used for Good Friday in Lesotho:
- Public Holidays Act 1995- International Labour Organization NATLEX
- Labour Code Order, 1992- Lesotho Legal Information Institute
- NPCC Commemorates Arrival of Missionaries- Government of Lesotho
- General Audience of 31 March 2021: Catechesis - The Easter Triduum- The Holy See