Is the eve (arefe) a half day? Yes, from 1 pm
Set the tool to the leave you take for the eve morning: you see how counting it as half or a full day changes your bayram break.
Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr) 2027: with 1 leave days
6 days off
6–11 March 2027. Without leave: 3 days (9–11 March 2027).
| First day off | Sat 6 March |
| Back to work | Fri 12 March |
| Leave used | 1 day |
| Leave dates | 8 Mar |
| Without leave | 3 days |
| With this plan | 6 days |
| Date | Day | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 6 March 2027 | Saturday | Weekend |
| 7 March 2027 | Sunday | Weekend |
| 8 March 2027 | Monday | Eve: leave in the morning, holiday from 1 pm |
| 9 March 2027 | Tuesday | Public holiday |
| 10 March 2027 | Wednesday | Public holiday |
| 11 March 2027 | Thursday | Public holiday |
| Leave budget | Used | Break | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 9–11 March 2027 | 3 |
| 1 | 1 | 6–11 March 2027 | 6 |
| 2 | 2 | 6–14 March 2027 | 9 |
| 3 | 3 | 5–14 March 2027 | 10 |
| 4 | 4 | 4–14 March 2027 | 11 |
| 5 | 5 | 3–14 March 2027 | 12 |
| 7 | 7 | 27 February – 14 March 2027 | 16 |
| 9 | 9 | 25 February – 14 March 2027 | 18 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · Diyanet lists and Law No. 2429 read on 28 October 2026
The eve of each religious holiday, called arefe in Turkish, is a public holiday from 1 pm under Law No. 2429 on National Holidays and General Days Off. The law defines Ramazan Bayramı as lasting "3.5 days from 1 pm on the eve" and Kurban Bayramı 4.5 days. The morning is ordinary working time. In 2027 the Eid al-Fitr eve is Mon 8 March and the Eid al-Adha eve Sat 15 May; because the second one falls on a weekend, people who do not work Saturdays gain nothing and get no replacement. Public offices close in the afternoon. In the private sector the afternoon is a general holiday too, and an employee who works it is owed extra pay under article 47 of the Labour Act. Employers handle leave for the morning differently: booked as half a day, a half day of leave gives 6 days off around Eid al-Fitr 2027; booked as a full day, one day of leave gives 6 days.
Eve dates 2026 to 2028
| Holiday | Eve | Day | On a weekend? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eid al-Fitr 2026 | 19 March 2026 | Thursday | no |
| Eid al-Adha 2026 | 26 May 2026 | Tuesday | no |
| Eid al-Fitr 2027 | 8 March 2027 | Monday | no |
| Eid al-Adha 2027 | 15 May 2027 | Saturday | yes |
| Eid al-Fitr 2028 | 25 February 2028 | Friday | no |
| Eid al-Adha 2028 | 4 May 2028 | Thursday | no |
Arefe is the day before the feast. The Eid al-Fitr eve is also the last day of Ramadan; in Istanbul in 2027 we compute that evening's iftar at 19:09. The Eid al-Adha eve is 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, the day pilgrims stand at Arafat.
What the law says
Article 2 of Law No. 2429 lists the religious holidays and states plainly that the eve is a holiday from 1 pm. The same half-day rule applies to Republic Day: the afternoon of 28 October is a holiday. The law says nothing specific about the eve morning, which is an ordinary working morning.
Leave for the morning: half or full day?
The Labour Act counts annual leave in days and does not mention half days. In practice some employers book the eve morning as half a day of leave and others deduct a full day. The gap looks small but adds up: 2027 and 2028 each have two eves. Switch the "leave for the eve morning" option in the calculator to compare both practices.
Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) 2028: with 3 leave days
Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) 2028: with 3 leave days
10 days off
| First day off | Sat 29 April |
| Back to work | Tue 9 May |
| Leave used | 3 days |
| Leave dates | 2 May, 3 May, 4 May |
If you work the eve afternoon
Health care, transport, security, energy and retail keep going on the eve afternoon. Because the half day is a general holiday, an employee who works it earns half a day's extra pay on top of the normal wage. For hourly workers the daily wage is 7.5 times the hourly rate. Details and the calculation are on holiday pay in Turkey.