Sunday 15 September - The Prophet's Birthday or Mawleed al Nabi (or Mawlid al-Nabi. There is not a single verse in the Qur'an OR a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) forbidding the celebration of Prophet's birthday); Confucius Day (Confucius' birthday falls on the 27th day of the eighth lunar month according to the Chinese calendar)
Thursday 31 October - Reformation Day (Slovenia, parts of Germany, Chile, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, various Protestant churches with a particular emphasis in Lutheran and Reformed ones)
Thursday 26 December - St. Stephen's Day (public holiday in Alsace, Austria, Andorra, Catalonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland)
Sunday 20 April - Ridwan Day in Iraq (in Islamic angelology, Ridwan is the guardian of Paradise and the head of the host of guardian angels of Paradise. Literally translated “satisfied, pleased.” It is not mentioned in the Qur'an and Tafsir, but is mentioned in the earlier hadiths describing Paradise)
Friday 25 April - Wiener Töchtertag or Daughter's Day in Austria (an annual event where girls can broaden their horizons in choosing a career. The initiative of a woman adviser, Catherine Gaal, in cooperation with the Vienna Economic Chamber and the Directorate of Education in Vienna)
Monday 5 May - Anti-Violence and Racism Day in Austria (The Memorial Day against Violence and Racism in Commemoration of the Victims of Nazism has been observed since 1998 as an Austrian memorial day recalling the liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp on May 5, 1945)
Wednesday 16 July - Ashura (is a major festival for Shia Muslims and commemorates the martyrdom at Karbala of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet)
Thursday 17 July - Gion Matsuri in Kyoto, Japan (祇園祭 is one of the most famous festivals. It lasts all of July and ends with the Yamaboko Junkō parade on July 17 and 24. Initially, it was dedicated to fighting the plague in 869)
Friday 15 August - Feast day of the Assumption of Mary (Christian feast day, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu)
Religious freedom is highly respected in Austria. Catholics and Protestants in Austria are required to pay a membership fee to their church based on their income.
Vienna, the capital of Austria, is home to almost one-quarter of the entire population of the country. One of the must-see museums in Vienna is the famous Mozarthaus.
The Austrian flag is one of the oldest national flags in the world. Founded in 1752, Austria’s zoo is recognized as the oldest zoo in the world. Started in 803, the Haslauer is the world’s oldest inn and restaurant still in operation. One of the oldest amusement parks in the world, the Wurstelprater is located in Vienna, Austria. Austria is regularly named as one of the countries with the highest standard of living in the world. In the annual list of most liveable cities, Vienna is nearly always at the top.
Famous classical music composers Joseph Haydn, Franz Liszt, Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, and Wolfgang Mozart were all from Austria. Austrians are very proud of being the home of Mozart. Hollywood actor and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally a citizen of Austria.
Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, regarded as the founding father of psychoanalysis, was from Vienna. Many of the members of the Rothschild family, known as bankers and investors, were citizens of Austria. Among the long list of famous Austrians is Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the sports car company which bears his name as well as the designer of the Volkswagen. The energy drink “Red Bull” was created in Austria.
The sewing machine was invented by Josef Madersperger, an Austrian. The first postcards used were in Austria. The waltz was born in Austria.
A popular gathering place for Austrians is the Heuriger, a unique kind of wine tavern where even families can come and enjoy a pleasant evening.
Well known for its Alps, Austria boasts 13 peaks which are in excess of 3,000 meters and 34 peaks which exceed 2,000 meters.
The world famous Salzburg Festival began in 1920 and is one of the highlights of summer in Austria.
Every October 26th, Austrians celebrate National Day. This commemorates the passing of the constitutional law regarding permanent neutrality. It was passed in 1955.