Best Times to Visit
Weather
Hot, tropical climate. Rainy sea-son in the south from May-October, in the central region from June-September. Very little rain in the north. (For more details, see Climate in Chad). Visitors are advised to bring linens and tropical waterproof clothing.
Festivals
Celebrations in Chad are confined to religious events, such as Muslim feasts, or ceremonies performed by indigenous tribes. N'Djamena has a modern ritual on Sundays where a bar is booked by a young woman or group of women who hope to profit from alcohol sales to friends and whoever else may join them. It is known as a pari-match.
March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day ( La Journee Internationale de la Femme), which marks the culmination of a national week of activities (la Semaine Nationale de la Femme Tchadienne, or SENAFET). Observations of "huit mars", as it is known locally in French, vary from town to town, ranging from small ceremonies or a day off school for girls, to a week of events that includes races, contests and expositions by women's groups and ends with parades and community-wide celebrations.
A variety of religious holidays are also celebrated in Chad, including the Muslim holidays of Ramadan, Id El Fitr, Id El Kabir (also known as Tabaski) and Id El Mouloud 'Nebewi, along with Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Many of these religious holidays, notably Id El Fitr (the feast for the end of Ramadan), Easter and Easter Monday are national holidays.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Chad:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Monday |
| 13 April | National Day |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| 25 May | Liberation of Africa |
| 11 August | Independence Day |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day |
| 28 November | Proclamation of the Republic |
| 1 December | Day of Liberty and Democracy |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Variable* | Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
* Although Muslim holidays always fall on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date they are celebrated on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar whilst the Gregorian calendar is solar. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year. The method used to determine when each Islamic month begins also varies from country to country.
