Missionary Day is a public holiday in French Polynesia, and it is observed on May 5 each year. The holiday commemorates the anniversary when the missionaries entered French Polynesia in 1797.
French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of France in the south-central Pacific Ocean, and it consists of 118 small islands and atolls. People started to inhabit the islands about 3,000 years ago. In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan first sighted French Polynesia.
The British explorers first arrived in 1767 and the French explorers arrived in 1768. In 1797, the London Missionary Society permanently settled in the islands and converted King and his subjects to Protestantism. French Catholic missionaries also arrived on the islands in 1834. Currently, about 54% of the population belongs to the Protestant churches, and about 38% of them belongs to the Catholic Churches.
In 1842, Tahiti and Tahuata became a French protectorate and made it a French colony in 1880.
The following is the list of Missionary Day in French Polynesia from 2022 to 2026.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Missionary Day | Mar 05, 2022 | Saturday |
| Missionary Day | Mar 05, 2023 | Sunday |
| Missionary Day | Mar 05, 2024 | Tuesday |
| Missionary Day | Mar 05, 2025 | Wednesday |
| Missionary Day | Mar 05, 2026 | Thursday |
Please check more public holidays in French Polynesia: