Commonwealth Cultural Day (Northern Mariana Islands)

Commonwealth Cultural Day is a public holiday in the Northern Mariana Islands, observed on the second Monday in October. The holiday marks the diversity of ethnicity and religions on the islands.

The Mariana Islands were the first islands settled by humans. It is believed that people inhabited the islands thousands of years ago before the arrival of the Europeans in the early 16th century. The islands became Spanish colonies in 1565.

In 1898, Spain surrendered Guam to the US forces and sold the Mariana Islands to Germany in 1899. During World War I, Japan acquired most of the islands in 1919 but surrendered them after World War II.

As a result, these islands became the United Nations Trust Territory under the administration of the United States. In 1976, the Northern Mariana Islands became a US Commonwealth.

Over centuries, people with different ethnic backgrounds settled here. About 50% of the population are Asians, such as Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Bangladeshi, about 35% of the population are other Pacific Islanders, such as Chamorro, Carolinian, Palauan, and about 15% are multiracial, and others. There are also many different religions, such as Roman Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, and others.

The following is the list of Commonwealth Cultural Day in the Northern Mariana Islands from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in the Northern Mariana Islands: