📅 holiday

Libya Independence Day

Thursday, December 24, 2026

— days to go

In 1911, Italian. Occupation. Italy initiates its occupation of Libya, marking the beginning of over three decades of foreign control

History

Libya achieved independence from Italy on December 24, 1951, becoming the first African nation to gain independence following World War II. The territory of Libya was colonized by Italy in 1911, beginning decades of colonization that displaced the indigenous Libyan people. During World War II, Libya was a major theater of war, with Italian and German forces fighting British Commonwealth troops. Following the Allied victory, the country was placed under UN trusteeship. The discovery of oil in the late 1950s transformed Libya's economic landscape. On December 24, 1951, the Kingdom of Libya was proclaimed with King Idris as monarch. Independence united the three regions of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan under a single nation. Libya's independence day marks the end of Italian colonization and the beginning of the modern Libyan state, though the country would later experience conflicts and the rise of Gaddafi in 1969.

How It's Celebrated

Celebrate by learning more about the occasion, sharing on social media with relevant hashtags, participating in community events, or taking small personal actions that align with the day's theme.

Countries

🇱🇮 LI

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📅 holiday Feb 10

Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck

The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a holiday unique to Malta because it was on Malta that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked around the year A.D. 60. In 2027, Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck falls on Wednesday 10 February. The holiday will be on Thursday 10 February in 2028. The feast is kept on February 10th each year, and as Paul is the patron saint of Malta, it is a much-anticipated event. Out of dozens of “saint days” on the church calendar in Malta, the Feast of Saint Paul is one of only a handful that have the status of a national holiday. The account of Paul’s shipwreck and three-month, wintertime stay on Malta is found in the Bible’s Acts 27:27 through 28:11. He was being taken to Rome as a prisoner to eventually stand trial before Caesar. God let him know in advance he would be shipwrecked but would spare the lives of all on board, which promise was later kept and in answer to Paul’s prayers for their lives. The Bible says the storm was in the Adriatic Sea, though Malta borders the Ionian Sea, because in ancient times, the Adriatic’s boundaries were considered to extend much farther south. The ship broke up on the rocks near the shores of Malta, and all swam ashore. The local population greeted them, but thought he might be a murderer whom the “goddess of justice” had finally caught up with after he was bitten by a poisonous snake. After he lived, however, they supposed him to be, perhaps, a god. Paul, however, soon showed them it was God’s power at work in a mere man by healing the governor of the island, Publius, and many others who were sick or disabled among the island’s population. No doubt, Paul preached the Gospel to them as well, and when he left Malta, the inhabitants gave him all necessary supplies out of gratitude. The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is kept at the “Parish Church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked” in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. It is also a day of processions and family get-togethers. Three things to do should you visit Malta, though hopefully not be shipwrecked there, on February 10th are:

🌍 observance Feb 17

Libyan Revolution Day

In 1969, Gaddafi. Takes Power. Muammar Gaddafi led a coup, overthrowing King Idris, and established a revolutionary republic in Libya

📅 holiday Feb 23

Defender of the Fatherland Day

Defender of the Fatherland Day is a public holiday in RU.

🌍 observance Mar 11

Independence Restoration

In 1795, Lithuania. Loses Independence. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is partitioned by Russia, Prussia and Austria, marking the start of Lithuania's loss of sovereignty

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