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Berchtold's Day
Cantonal holiday
12 cantons + ZH/local areas
Falls on: Friday
3 free days without leave
Berchtold's Day falls on Friday, 2 January in 2026. It applies canton-wide in twelve cantons and additionally in specifically defined areas of Fribourg and Aargau; Zurich treats it only as a local or contractual day off, not a statutory public holiday.
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Author
Ferien-Kalender.ch editorial team
Last checked
Source basis
official sources and editorial review
Praxis
01
Berchtoldstag and the 2 January reset
The day is not a uniform Swiss extension of New Year's Day.
Date
Berchtold's Day falls on Friday.
Status
Cantonal holiday
Canton-wide in Bern, Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Schaffhausen, St Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud, Valais and Jura. In Zurich, Berchtold's Day is not a statutory public holiday; time off depends on a local, contractual or public-employment rule. In Fribourg it applies in Courgevaux, Fräschels, Greng, Kerzers, Meyriez, Muntelier, Murten, Ried bei Kerzers, Ulmiz and Mont-Vully, plus Flamatt and Sensebrügg. In Aargau it applies in the districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg, Zofingen and Zurzach, plus the municipality of Bergdietikon. In Neuchâtel, 2 January applies only when New Year's Day is a Sunday, which is not the case in 2026.
Scope
12 cantons + ZH/local areas
Only Swiss National Day on 1 August has federal constitutional holiday status. Berchtold's Day rests on cantonal rules and calendar conditions.
Planning
3 free days without leave
Friday extends the New Year weekend only within the stated scope; outside that area, 2 January alone does not create a statutory public holiday.
Friday extends the New Year weekend only within the stated scope; outside that area, 2 January alone does not create a statutory public holiday.
Only Swiss National Day on 1 August has federal constitutional holiday status. Berchtold's Day rests on cantonal rules and calendar conditions.
Canton-wide in Bern, Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Schaffhausen, St Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud, Valais and Jura. In Zurich, Berchtold's Day is not a statutory public holiday; time off depends on a local, contractual or public-employment rule. In Fribourg it applies in Courgevaux, Fräschels, Greng, Kerzers, Meyriez, Muntelier, Murten, Ried bei Kerzers, Ulmiz and Mont-Vully, plus Flamatt and Sensebrügg. In Aargau it applies in the districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg, Zofingen and Zurzach, plus the municipality of Bergdietikon. In Neuchâtel, 2 January applies only when New Year's Day is a Sunday, which is not the case in 2026.
Recht
02
Check the local holiday status first
12 cantons + ZH/local areas
3 free days without leave
2 January off in twelve cantons
Friday is a public holiday in twelve cantons and the listed local areas; in Zurich it requires a local or contractual rule.
Recommendation
Extend the New Year weekend only in the verified scope
The work location may follow a different calendar from a traveller's home canton.
Scope
12 cantons + ZH/local areas
Canton-wide in Bern, Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Schaffhausen, St Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud, Valais and Jura. In Zurich, Berchtold's Day is not a statutory public holiday; time off depends on a local, contractual or public-employment rule. In Fribourg it applies in Courgevaux, Fräschels, Greng, Kerzers, Meyriez, Muntelier, Murten, Ried bei Kerzers, Ulmiz and Mont-Vully, plus Flamatt and Sensebrügg. In Aargau it applies in the districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg, Zofingen and Zurzach, plus the municipality of Bergdietikon. In Neuchâtel, 2 January applies only when New Year's Day is a Sunday, which is not the case in 2026.
2026 consequence
Plan from the exact place
Friday extends the New Year weekend only within the stated scope; outside that area, 2 January alone does not create a statutory public holiday.
Work restart
Workplace calendar
A return to work depends on the workplace rule; do not carry a home-canton assumption into the first January shift.
Schools and shops
Separate calendars
Schools and childcare use their local dates. Shops publish their hours separately; Berchtold's Day creates no shared timetable outside its scope.
Planung
04
Use annual leave only where the date helps
Applicable scope
12 cantons + ZH/local areas
Canton-wide in Bern, Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Schaffhausen, St Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud, Valais and Jura. In Zurich, Berchtold's Day is not a statutory public holiday; time off depends on a local, contractual or public-employment rule. In Fribourg it applies in Courgevaux, Fräschels, Greng, Kerzers, Meyriez, Muntelier, Murten, Ried bei Kerzers, Ulmiz and Mont-Vully, plus Flamatt and Sensebrügg. In Aargau it applies in the districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg, Zofingen and Zurzach, plus the municipality of Bergdietikon. In Neuchâtel, 2 January applies only when New Year's Day is a Sunday, which is not the case in 2026.
Planning consequence
3 free days without leave
Friday extends the New Year weekend only within the stated scope; outside that area, 2 January alone does not create a statutory public holiday.
Workplace rule
Check the actual workplace
The employment consequence follows the applicable workplace rule; a local New Year's custom does not change that legal check.
Neuchâtel in 2026
Conditional date
The conditional 2 January rule in Neuchâtel does not apply in 2026 because New Year's Day is not a Sunday.
Only Swiss National Day on 1 August has federal constitutional holiday status. Berchtold's Day rests on cantonal rules and calendar conditions.
Canton-wide in Bern, Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Schaffhausen, St Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud, Valais and Jura. In Zurich, Berchtold's Day is not a statutory public holiday; time off depends on a local, contractual or public-employment rule. In Fribourg it applies in Courgevaux, Fräschels, Greng, Kerzers, Meyriez, Muntelier, Murten, Ried bei Kerzers, Ulmiz and Mont-Vully, plus Flamatt and Sensebrügg. In Aargau it applies in the districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg, Zofingen and Zurzach, plus the municipality of Bergdietikon. In Neuchâtel, 2 January applies only when New Year's Day is a Sunday, which is not the case in 2026.
Article 20a governs cantonal holidays; rosters and collective agreements govern workplace details.
FAQ
05
Frequently asked questions
Short, source-backed answers about Berchtold's Day.
Is Berchtold's Day a public holiday throughout Switzerland?
No. Its statutory status varies by canton and municipality; Zurich does not treat it as a statutory holiday.
What happens in Neuchâtel on 2 January 2026?
The conditional Neuchâtel holiday does not apply because New Year's Day is not a Sunday in 2026.
Does Berchtold's Day delay the return to work?
Only where the workplace or local rule grants time off; confirm the employer rule before planning the first working days of January.
Is there one Swiss Berchtold's Day custom?
No. Local social customs vary, and they do not create a nationwide public-holiday status.
Historie
06
A local New Year custom
The second day of the New Year season
Berchtold's Day is a Swiss regional holiday on 2 January, not a saint's day with one nationwide meaning. Its legal effect follows the canton or a local rule.
Local New Year customs
The date extends the New Year season in several regions. Social visits and local customs vary markedly and do not create nationwide public-holiday status.
Recht
07
Employment follows the relevant canton
12 cantons + ZH/local areas
Canton-wide in Bern, Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Schaffhausen, St Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud, Valais and Jura. In Zurich, Berchtold's Day is not a statutory public holiday; time off depends on a local, contractual or public-employment rule. In Fribourg it applies in Courgevaux, Fräschels, Greng, Kerzers, Meyriez, Muntelier, Murten, Ried bei Kerzers, Ulmiz and Mont-Vully, plus Flamatt and Sensebrügg. In Aargau it applies in the districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg, Zofingen and Zurzach, plus the municipality of Bergdietikon. In Neuchâtel, 2 January applies only when New Year's Day is a Sunday, which is not the case in 2026.
Only Swiss National Day on 1 August has federal constitutional holiday status. Berchtold's Day rests on cantonal rules and calendar conditions.
Recht
08
The Zurich and Neuchâtel exceptions matter
Keep the two calendar exceptions separate from the canton-wide count.
Zurich does not designate 2 January as a statutory public holiday. Time off there depends on the local, contractual or public-employment rule at the actual workplace.
Neuchâtel's conditional 2 January rule is not triggered in 2026 because New Year's Day is not a Sunday. In another year, check that calendar condition separately.
Praxis
09
Schools, childcare and shops on 2 January
A January restart can use different calendars at home, at work and in local services.
A school break or childcare closure can continue on 2 January.
A workplace can reopen on the same date.
Assign the school and childcare locations separately.
Assign the workplace location separately.
Retail and service providers publish their own hours for the date. A statutory holiday area does not promise one opening schedule for every shop or service.
Praxis
10
Plan next
Set the work restart and municipal status before committing January leave.
For Friday, 2 January 2026, match the municipality to the Berchtold's Day scope: in the twelve cantons and listed areas of Fribourg and Aargau, the regional holiday extends the New Year period; in Zurich, the status depends on a local or contractual rule.
Set the work restart from the workplace and municipality, then use the January calendar to decide whether leave is needed.
Check the school calendar separately for the school location.
