Can `ncal` show holidays?

The ncal command itself does not have built-in functionality to display holidays. However, you can use it in conjunction with other tools or scripts to highlight holidays on the calendar.

Workaround to Show Holidays

Using a Custom Script: You can create a script that overlays holidays on the output of ncal. For example, you could use a combination of ncal and echo to print holidays alongside the calendar.
Using the -H Option: Some versions of ncal support the -H option, which allows you to specify holidays. You can use it like this:
```
ncal -H
```
This will display holidays if your version supports it and if the holidays are defined in the system.
External Tools: You can also use other command-line tools or scripts that fetch holiday data and format it for display alongside ncal. For instance, using Python or Bash scripts to pull holiday data from an API and format it with ncal.

Example of Custom Script

Here’s a simple example of how you might highlight a holiday in a script:

#!/bin/bash

# Display the current month's calendar
ncal

# Print holidays
echo "Holidays:"
echo "1st Jan - New Year's Day"
echo "25th Dec - Christmas Day"

Conclusion

While ncal does not directly show holidays, you can use workarounds to display them alongside the calendar. If you need a more comprehensive solution, consider looking into dedicated calendar applications or libraries that can handle holidays more effectively.

If you have further questions or need assistance with a specific implementation, feel free to ask!