Global holiday guide rooted in South Korea's calendar, observed nationwide
Next occurrence
May 24, 2026
Sunday
Observed in
2 countries
Current holiday dataset
Primary context
South Korea
Public
Planning timezone
Asia/Seoul
UTC+09:00
Next: May 24, 2026 (Sunday)
Buddha's Birthday is one of the clearest examples of a religious holiday whose public importance depends on regional tradition and state recognition. In the current dataset this holiday appears in 2 country calendars, with the strongest concentration in Asia (2).
The observance comes from Buddhist ritual calendars and often centers on temple visits, lantern displays, prayer, and acts of merit or reflection.
Its public visibility varies by country, but where it is a holiday it stands out as a major spiritual date with a recognizably different tone from civic commemorations.
Buddha's Birthday is marked as a nationwide observance in the current South Korea holiday data.
Buddha's Birthday follows a lunar or lunisolar calendar tradition, so the Gregorian date changes from year to year. In the tracked data window, the dates land on 2025: May 5, 2026: May 24, 2027: May 13.
The current static build keeps the tracked 2025-2027 date window online for curated holiday detail pages.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | May 5, 2025 | Monday |
| 2026 | May 24, 2026 | Sunday |
| 2027 | May 13, 2027 | Thursday |
In South Korea, Buddha's Birthday appears in the calendar as a public holiday. People usually search this page to confirm whether the day changes working hours, whether it creates a long weekend, and how it fits with the broader holiday season in the country.
Country-specific view
South Korea treats this as a nationwide observance.
Operational note
If you are planning travel, payroll, or customer support around Buddha's Birthday, use the next-occurrence date and the local timezone block together.
Buddha's Birthday works as more than a date check in South Korea; it is a public marker that affects staffing, support coverage, school calendars, and travel timing. The next tracked occurrence is May 24, 2026, so this page acts as a quick planning note as well as a historical explainer.
Buddha's Birthday also appears in other country calendars such as Hong Kong and South Korea. The next recorded dates across that wider footprint include Hong Kong on May 25, 2026 and South Korea on May 24, 2026, which helps explain why airline schedules, payroll calendars, and global customer-support shifts often treat the holiday as a regional wave rather than a single-country event.
South Korea plans this holiday primarily around Asia/Seoul. Buddha's Birthday also tends to be planned alongside Chuseok, Lunar New Year, and New Year's Day, because people rarely make calendar decisions about one public holiday in isolation.
Buddha's Birthday appears in 2 country calendars in the current dataset.
Asia
2 countries
These country rows help explain why the same holiday can matter differently across regions even when the holiday name looks familiar. The next-date column is especially useful for travel, payroll, and support teams that plan across multiple jurisdictions.
| Country | Next date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | May 25, 2026 | Public |
| South Korea | May 24, 2026 | Public |
Buddha's Birthday falls on May 24, 2026 (Sunday) in 2026.
Buddha's Birthday follows a lunar or lunisolar calendar tradition, so the Gregorian date changes from year to year. In the tracked data window, the dates land on 2025: May 5, 2026: May 24, 2027: May 13.
Buddha's Birthday is listed as a public holiday in South Korea and is marked as nationwide.
Buddha's Birthday appears in 2 country calendars in the current dataset, including Hong Kong, South Korea.
South Korea uses Asia/Seoul (UTC+09:00) for local planning.
Buddha's Birthday is often compared with Chuseok, Lunar New Year, New Year's Day on the South Korea calendar.