Information, NORWAY AT A GLANCE

Public Holidays

Norway celebrates a variety of traditional and religious holidays. With 1407 working hours a year, 84% of Norwegians claim to be satisfied with their life.

Public Holidays 2012

New Year’s Day  January 1
Palm Sunday  April 1
Maundy Thursday  April 5
Good Friday  April 6
Easter Sunday  April 8
Easter Monday  April 9
Public Holiday  May 1
Constitution Day  May 17
Ascension Day  May 17
Whit Sunday  May 27
Whit Monday  May 28
Christmas Day  December 25
Boxing Day  December 26

 

Balanced work-life
Norwegians maintain a strong balance between work and leisure. In general, Norwegians work 5 days a week between 08.00 – 16.00, and most people leave the office at 16.00. Foreign business partners may be puzzled by the challenges of securing business deals on Saturday mornings or even Friday afternoons. As Norwegians have a strong separation between work and private life, it is a common expectation that weekends are kept free of business obligations.

Norwegians are entitled to 25 days’ legislative holiday per year, and every Sunday is a public holiday. Norwegians have several public holidays, among them Easter where majority takes the whole week off. Other days may be Whit, May 17, June 23 (Midsummer / “St. John’s Eve”), Christmas and New Years. Traditionally, Norwegians take their summer holiday during the majority of July and first week of August. Independently, private life is especially guarded during the brightest months of the year.

Daylight saving time
The time zone for Norway is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) +1 hour. Daylight saving time (DST) improves the opportunity to enjoy long summer evenings. During spring the clocks are moved an hour ahead, starting last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.