Father Lini Day is a public holiday in Vanuatu, and it is observed on February 21 each year. The holiday commemorates the death of Walter Hadye Lini, the first Prime Minister of Vanuatu.
Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides, is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. People began to inhabit the islands about 3000 years ago. The Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós became the first European to arrive at the archipelago in 1606. Europeans and whaling ships began visiting the islands regularly in the following years.
France and the United Kingdom were both interested in the islands and they agreed to administer the islands jointly in 1906. Following the decolonization after World War II, independent movements in Vanuatu started in the early 1970s.
On July 30, 1980, Vanuatu gained independence, and Walter Lini became the first Prime Minister. Walter Lini was born in 1942 on Pentecost Island. He published the newspaper New Hebrides Viewpoint and established the New Hebrides National Party (NHNP) in 1971. He served as the first Prime Minister of Vanuatu from 1980 to 1991. On February 21, 1999, he died of an illness in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila.
The following is the list of Father Lini Day in Vanuatu from 2022 to 2026.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Father Lini Day | Feb 21, 2022 | Monday |
| Father Lini Day | Feb 21, 2023 | Tuesday |
| Father Lini Day | Feb 21, 2024 | Wednesday |
| Father Lini Day | Feb 21, 2025 | Friday |
| Father Lini Day | Feb 21, 2026 | Saturday |
Please check more public holidays in Tuvalu: