The sixth of May is both a Syrian and Lebanese national holiday commemorating the Syrian and Lebanese martyrs executed by the Ottoman leader Jamal Pasha during the First World War. It was declared a public holiday because it was the day that witnessed the execution of the largest number of Lebanese and Syrian nationals for seeking the assistance of the British and the French in ending Ottoman occupation.

 

Six Lebanese were executed on May 6, 1916, leading the authorities to declare this day a national Martyrs Day until 1977 when it was cancelled during the Lebanese War. Later in 1994, it was re-celebrated as a national holiday only to be cancelled once again in 2005 under the presidential term of Emile Lahoud and the Seniora government.  

 

In 1954, Decree 6033 was issued identifying the holidays on which all public administrations and institutions as well as municipalities are closed. This decree has been subject to several amendments, adding certain holidays and eliminating others, as illustrated in Table 1 where the following can be noted:

-    Equal holidays for Muslims and Christians

-    The holiday commemorating the Arab League Charter has been cancelled.

-    The Day of Ashura and the Saint Maroun’s Day have been added as official holidays.

-    Ascension Thursday has been cancelled.

-    Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Islamic New Year’s Day (Hijri New Year), the Assumption of Mary, Al-Fitr and Al-Adha, Good Friday, Independence Day and Labor Day are the fixed public holidays that have never been changed. 

-    Armenian Orthodox Christmas and the Feast of Annunciation have been observed as official holidays.