Why Is Sunday a Working Day in Nepal? The History Behind Its Saturday Weekend

Nepal’s weekend is unusual compared with many countries: Saturday is the main weekly public holiday, while Sunday is normally a working day.

The reason is largely historical and cultural. Nepal developed its official weekly rest day around Saturday (Shanibar) rather than adopting the Western Saturday–Sunday weekend. Saturday has long had religious and social significance in Nepal, including associations with Shani, the Hindu deity linked with the planet Saturn. Government offices, schools, banks and many businesses traditionally close on Saturday.

Nepal therefore generally follows a Sunday-to-Friday working week, with Saturday as the weekly holiday. This is why someone arriving from the UAE, Europe or many other countries may be surprised to find offices and schools operating normally on Sunday.

Nepal did briefly experiment with a two-day Saturday–Sunday weekend in 2022. The government introduced it partly as an energy-saving measure, hoping that fewer commuting and office days would reduce fuel consumption. However, the arrangement was short-lived. Concerns emerged about reduced working hours and disruption to public services and education, and the government returned to the traditional Saturday-only weekend.

So, in simple terms:

Nepal works on Sunday because Saturday—not Sunday—is traditionally its weekly day off.

It’s an interesting example of how the familiar Saturday–Sunday weekend is not universal; working weeks are shaped by each country's history, religion, economy and administrative traditions.