It’s Official: April 1, 2025 Is a Regular Holiday

(SPOT.ph) The Malacañang Palace has officially declared April 1 as a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid'l Fitr or the Feast of Ramadhan.

Proclamation No. 839 was issued "in order to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid'l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness," following the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos' (NCMF) recommendation that either March 31 or April 1 be a national holiday based on the 1445 Hijrah Islamic Lunar Calendar. 

Eid'l Fitr is one of the two greatest feasts of Islam, the other being Eid'l Adha. 

Since April 1 is a Tuesday, you'll only need to take a leave on Monday, March 31 to make it a four-day long weekend for you.

Also read: LIST: 2025 Holidays and Long Weekends in the Philippines

What is Eid'l Fitr?

Eid'l Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month in Islam. This sacred time is used to reflect and meditate, with followers abstaining from food, drink, sexual activity, and other worldly desires from dawn to dusk. As a result, Eid'l Fitr is traditionally marked with a festive feast to celebrate the end of fasting.

The reason holy dates change annually is because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar—and so it all depends on the moon. Religious leaders declare when Ramadan starts and ends depending on the moon's cycles. This year, Ramadan started on February 28.

Also read: Here's Why Ramadan Falls on Different Dates Every Year

What is a regular holiday?

Employers are obligated to pay workers the normal daily rate on regular holidays.

If an employee reports for work on that day, they should be paid twice the normal daily rate. Overtime work will also have to be compensated with 2.6 times the hourly rate and the number of excess hours.

Those without regular employment such as seasonal workers may not be paid the required holiday pay when they are not called to work. If an employee is paid per output, the holiday pay should not be less than the employee's average daily earnings for the last seven working days before the regular holiday.

Also read: How Many Paid Leaves Are Workers Entitled to Under the PH Labor Code?