📅 Cayman Islands adds Emancipation Day as an official holiday

The Cayman Islands Government has decided to retain the long-standing Discovery Day holiday in May and add Emancipation Day as an additional public holiday. This decision increases the number of public holidays to twelve annually. Employees will now have a day off on the first Monday in May for the new Emancipation Day holiday and on the third Monday in May for Discovery Day. Emancipation Day commemorates the abolishment of slavery in the Cayman Islands and will be celebrated on or close to the anniversary of 5 May 1835. Discovery Day marks the discovery of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman by Christopher Columbus in May 1503. 📜

In November 2023, it was announced that Emancipation Day, which had been replaced by Constitution Day in the 1960s, would be reinstated. Initially, it was decided that it would replace Discovery Day and be held on the first Monday of May. However, after a Cabinet meeting on 20 February, ministers approved the addition of Emancipation Day to the Public Holiday Act (2007 Revision) and the retention of Discovery Day. Both days will now be official public holidays, celebrated on the first and third Monday of May respectively. The Cayman Islands will also celebrate the King’s official birthday in June, a tradition across much of the Commonwealth. 🎈

Despite the introduction of Cayman Thanksgiving on 1 December a few years ago to mark the end of the hurricane season, this has not been made into an official public holiday. The full list of holidays can be found on the government website. 🗓️