DigiNepal · festivals
Bahrain National Day (العيد الوطني البحريني (Arabic)). Region: Bahrain. Tradition: National day (UAE and GCC cultural list). Calendar: Gregorian (fixed by government decree). Dates: Official holiday (BH) 2026: Wednesday 16 December 2026 to Thursday 17 December 2026 [official, source BH]; Official holiday (BH) 2027: Thursday 16 December 2027 to Friday 17 December 2027 [official, source BH]; Official holiday (BH) 2028: Saturday 16 December 2028 to Sunday 17 December 2028 [official, source BH]. History and significance: Bahrain National Day on 16 and 17 December marks the accession of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa and the country's independence era. Celebrations include fireworks, parades and lights across Manama. Key rituals and foods: Flag displays, fireworks, parades, heritage villages and traditional dress; foods include national dishes such as machboos, harees and luqaimat. Date basis: official = matches a government gazetted holiday list; computed = calculated from the calendar system (tithi astronomy with skyfield and JPL DE421, Hijri Umm al-Qura, Chinese, Korean and Hebrew calendar libraries, or the fixed rule); expected = Umm al-Qura projection pending moon sighting. Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata (CC BY-SA, CC0) and government holiday lists, summarised in our own words.