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0Erinome:Hello dear friends! Welcome to our podcast. Today we’re going to chat about something we all love—holidays! I’m Erinome.
Enceladus:Hi everyone! I’m Enceladus. Oh, holidays! Just thinking about them makes me happy. Do you know which country in Southeast Asia has the most public holidays?
Erinome:Hmm, let me guess… Thailand? Or maybe Indonesia?
Enceladus:Nope! Surprise! It’s Malaysia! In 2019, Malaysia had 50 days of public holidays. Wow, that’s a lot!
Erinome:50 days? Really? That sounds amazing! But wait, are all those holidays for everyone in Malaysia?
Enceladus:Good question! The news says Malaysia has 12 national public holidays, and the rest are state-specific. So some holidays are only for people in certain states.
Erinome:Oh, I see. So people living there must love that! Do other Southeast Asian countries have that many?
Enceladus:No, not really. Let’s see the ranking. Second is Cambodia with 31 days.
Erinome:31 days is still more than many countries. What’s special about Cambodia’s holidays?
Enceladus:Oh, Cambodia celebrates New Year from April 14 to 17, like Thailand and Laos. And it’s the only country in Southeast Asia that has public holidays for Children’s Day and Human Rights Day in 2019. That’s cool, right?
Erinome:That is! Kids must be so happy on Children’s Day. What about Thailand? I know they have Songkran.
Enceladus:Yes! Thailand is third with 26 days. But strictly speaking, only 20 are national—6 are for special provinces. And Songkran, the water festival, is their biggest holiday, same as Laos and Myanmar.
Erinome:Haha, I’ve seen videos of Songkran—people splashing water everywhere! So fun. What about Myanmar?
Enceladus:Myanmar is fourth with 25 days. Here’s an interesting thing: they love full moons! Since it’s a Buddhist country, they have 5 public holidays just for full moons.
Erinome:Wow, that’s unique! Full moon parties every month? Maybe. Then the Philippines?
Enceladus:Philippines is fifth with 21 days. Most of their holidays are Christian-related because it’s a Christian-majority country. And it’s the only one with a public holiday on Maundy Thursday, the day before Easter.
Erinome:Maundy Thursday? I’ve heard of that, but didn’t know it’s a holiday there. What about Indonesia?
Enceladus:Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim country, is sixth with 20 days. They celebrate Eid al-Fitr from June 3 to 7. They call it “Lebaran,” but some also say “Hari Raya Edi Fitri,” like Malaysia and Brunei.
Erinome:Oh, different names but same festival. Then Brunei?
Enceladus:Brunei is seventh with 19 days. That’s surprising because Brunei has only about 500,000 people. Their longest holiday is Eid al-Fitr too, from June 5 to 8.
Erinome:Small country, but nice holidays. What about Singapore? It’s a busy city, so maybe fewer?
Enceladus:Yes, Singapore is eighth with 14 days. It’s known for a strong economy, so not many holidays. Their longest is Chinese New Year, February 5-6 in 2019.
Erinome:Makes sense. Then Laos?
Enceladus:Laos is ninth with 13 days. Their longest holiday is Lao New Year, also called Songkran, from April 14 to 16. Same as Thailand and Myanmar.
Erinome:And the last in Southeast Asia?
Enceladus:Vietnam, with only 11 days. That’s the least. Their longest holiday is Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, with 5 days off.
Erinome:11 days? That’s really few. I feel bad for Vietnamese workers. So Malaysia is way ahead in Southeast Asia.
Enceladus:Totally! Now, let’s talk about the world. Do you know which countries have the most holidays globally?
Erinome:I think European countries? I’ve heard they have good work-life balance.
Enceladus:Yes! A survey by Hotels.com looked at 30 countries. Russia was first with 40 days total (paid vacation + public holidays). Then Italy and Sweden with 36 days, 8 days more than the global average.
Erinome:40 days! That’s almost a month and a half. What about France? I’ve heard they have a lot of holidays.
Enceladus:Oh yes! France has 10 public holidays, and after working a year, you get 5 weeks of paid vacation. Plus weekends, so they have about 150 days off a year! Can you believe that?
Erinome:Wow, that’s like not working half the year! I’m jealous. What about the US?
Enceladus:The US has around 25 days total. Companies give more to employees with 5-10 years of work—maybe 3 weeks of vacation plus public holidays. Some big companies even add paid sick days.
Erinome:Not bad. What about China? How many holidays do we have?
Enceladus:The news says China has 11 national public holidays. Adding the minimum paid vacation, the total is 16 days. But we often “adjust” holidays by moving weekends, so it feels longer—like Golden Week.
Erinome:Oh right! The “adjusted” holidays. Some people complain about that because we have to work on weekends to make up for it.
Enceladus:Yes, like the recent Labor Day holiday—5 days off, but only 1 is real, the rest are weekends and adjusted days. Many people think it’s not worth it.
