Gospel Day (Tuvalu)

Gospel Day is a public holiday in Tuvalu, observed on the second Monday of May each year. The holiday commemorates the arrival of Christianity on the islands.

Tuvalu, previously known as the Ellice Islands, is an island country in the Pacific Ocean. People began to inhabit the islands about 3000 years ago. Tuvalu became a British protectorate in 1892 and then part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony from 1916 to 1975. On October 1, 1978, Tuvalu gained its independence as a sovereign state within the Commonwealth realm.

Christianity was brought to Tuvalu by Elekana in 1861. Elekana was a deacon of a Congregational church in Manihiki, Cook Islands. He was caught in a storm, drifted for two months, and landed at Nukulaelae on May 10, 1861. He began preaching on the atoll during his four-month stay. He then traveled to Funafuti and preached there.

The first European missionary, the Reverend A. W. Murray of the London Missionary Society arrived at Tuvalu in 1865, and other missionaries followed. By the end of the 19th century, the missionaries had established Christianity on all nine islands in Tuvalu. The Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu is the state church of Tuvalu, and it comprises about 97% of the inhabitants of Tuvalu.

The following is the list of Gospel Day in Tuvalu from 2022 to 2026.

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