diff --git a/src/components/HeaderControls.vue b/src/components/HeaderControls.vue
index 8bfff13..e1be02b 100644
--- a/src/components/HeaderControls.vue
+++ b/src/components/HeaderControls.vue
@@ -166,12 +166,6 @@ onBeforeUnmount(() => {
   width: 100%;
   padding-inline-end: 2rem;
 }
-.header-controls :deep(.search-bar) {
-  flex: 1 1 clamp(14rem, 40vw, 30rem);
-  max-width: clamp(18rem, 40vw, 30rem);
-  min-width: 12rem;
-  margin-inline-end: auto;
-}
 .toggle-btn {
   position: fixed;
   top: 0;
diff --git a/src/components/Search.vue b/src/components/Search.vue
index 9597d36..6724869 100644
--- a/src/components/Search.vue
+++ b/src/components/Search.vue
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
       ref="searchInputRef"
       v-model="searchQuery"
       type="search"
-      placeholder="Date or event..."
-      aria-label="Search date and events"
+      placeholder="Date or Event..."
+      aria-label="Search dates, holidays and events"
       @keydown="handleSearchKeydown"
     />
     <ul
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@
         role="option"
         @mousedown.prevent="selectResult(i)"
       >
-        <span class="title">{{ r.title }}</span>
-        <span class="date">{{ r.startDate }}</span>
+        <span class="title">{{ r.title }}</span
+        ><span class="date">{{ r.startDate }}</span>
       </li>
     </ul>
     <div v-else-if="searchQuery.trim() && !searchResults.length" class="search-empty">
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 </template>
 
 <script setup>
-import { ref, watch, nextTick, computed, defineExpose } from 'vue'
+import { ref, watch, nextTick, computed, defineExpose, onUnmounted, onMounted } from 'vue'
 import { useCalendarStore } from '@/stores/CalendarStore'
 import {
   fromLocalString,
@@ -44,10 +44,11 @@ import {
   getMondayOfISOWeek,
   formatTodayString,
   makeTZDate,
+  getISOWeek,
 } from '@/utils/date'
 import { addDays } from 'date-fns'
-import { getDate as getRecurDate, getNearestOccurrence } from '@/utils/events'
-import * as dateFns from 'date-fns'
+import { getDate as getNearestOccurrence } from '@/utils/events'
+import { getHolidaysForYear } from '@/utils/holidays'
 
 const emit = defineEmits(['activate', 'preview'])
 const props = defineProps({ referenceDate: { type: String, default: null } })
@@ -57,57 +58,122 @@ const searchQuery = ref('')
 const searchResults = ref([])
 const searchIndex = ref(0)
 const searchInputRef = ref(null)
+let previewTimer = null
 
-function buildSearchResults() {
+// Accent-insensitive lowercasing
+const norm = (s) =>
+  s
+    .normalize('NFD')
+    .replace(/\p{Diacritic}/gu, '')
+    .toLowerCase()
+let lastQuery = ''
+let frozenRefStr = null // reference date frozen at last query change
+const YEAR_SCAN_OFFSETS = [-4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4]
+function buildSearchResults(queryChanged = false) {
   const raw = searchQuery.value.trim()
-  const q = raw.toLowerCase()
-  if (!q) {
+  if (!raw) {
     searchResults.value = []
     searchIndex.value = 0
+    lastQuery = raw
     return
   }
   const listAll = raw === '*'
+  const search = norm(raw)
   const out = []
-  // Reference date: prefer viewport anchor (date-only) else 'now'. Normalize to midnight local.
-  let refStr = props.referenceDate || calendarStore.today || calendarStore.now
-  // If it's full ISO (with time), slice date portion.
-  if (refStr.includes('T')) refStr = refStr.slice(0, 10)
+  let refStrLive = props.referenceDate || calendarStore.today || calendarStore.now
+  if (refStrLive.includes('T')) refStrLive = refStrLive.slice(0, 10)
+  if (queryChanged || !frozenRefStr) frozenRefStr = refStrLive
+  const refStr = frozenRefStr
   const nowDate = fromLocalString(refStr, DEFAULT_TZ)
   for (const ev of calendarStore.events.values()) {
-    const title = (ev.title || '').trim()
-    if (!title) continue
-    if (!(listAll || title.toLowerCase().includes(q))) continue
+    const title = '⚜️ ' + (ev.title || '').trim()
+    if (!(listAll || norm(title).includes(search))) continue
     let displayStart = ev.startDate
     if (ev.recur) {
       const nearest = getNearestOccurrence(ev, refStr, DEFAULT_TZ)
-      if (nearest && nearest.dateStr) displayStart = nearest.dateStr
+      if (nearest?.dateStr) displayStart = nearest.dateStr
     }
     out.push({ id: ev.id, title, startDate: displayStart })
   }
-  out.sort((a, b) => (a.startDate < b.startDate ? -1 : a.startDate > b.startDate ? 1 : 0))
-  // Inject Go To Date option if query matches a date pattern (first item)
-  const gotoDateStr = parseGoToDateCandidate(raw)
+  if (calendarStore.config?.holidays?.enabled) {
+    try {
+      calendarStore._ensureHolidaysInitialized?.()
+      const refYear = nowDate.getFullYear()
+      const yearWindow = YEAR_SCAN_OFFSETS.map((o) => refYear + o)
+      const bestByName = Object.create(null)
+      for (const yr of yearWindow) {
+        for (const h of getHolidaysForYear(yr) || []) {
+          const name = (h.name || '').trim().split(/\s*\/\s*/)[0]
+          if (!name) continue
+          if (!listAll && !norm(name).includes(search)) continue
+          let dateObj
+          try {
+            dateObj = new Date(h.date)
+          } catch {
+            dateObj = null
+          }
+          if (!dateObj || isNaN(dateObj)) continue
+          const diff = Math.abs(dateObj - nowDate)
+          const key = name.toLowerCase()
+          const prev = bestByName[key]
+          if (!prev || diff < prev.diff) bestByName[key] = { name, dateObj, diff }
+        }
+      }
+      for (const key in bestByName) {
+        const { name, dateObj } = bestByName[key]
+        const dateStr = toLocalString(dateObj, DEFAULT_TZ)
+        out.push({
+          id: '__holiday__' + dateStr + ':' + key,
+          title: `✨ ${name}`,
+          startDate: dateStr,
+          _holiday: true,
+          _dupeKey: '__holiday__' + dateStr + ':' + key,
+        })
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') console.debug('[Search] holiday search skipped', e)
+    }
+  }
+  if (queryChanged) {
+    out.sort((a, b) => (a.startDate < b.startDate ? -1 : a.startDate > b.startDate ? 1 : 0))
+  } else if (searchResults.value.length) {
+    const order = new Map(searchResults.value.map((r, i) => [r.id, i]))
+    out.sort((a, b) => {
+      const ai = order.has(a.id) ? order.get(a.id) : 1e9
+      const bi = order.has(b.id) ? order.get(b.id) : 1e9
+      if (ai !== bi) return ai - bi
+      return a.startDate < b.startDate ? -1 : a.startDate > b.startDate ? 1 : 0
+    })
+  }
+  const gotoDateStr = parseGoToDateCandidate(raw, refStr)
   if (gotoDateStr) {
     const dateObj = fromLocalString(gotoDateStr, DEFAULT_TZ)
-    const label = formatTodayString(dateObj).replace(/\n+/g, ' ')
-    out.unshift({ id: '__goto__' + gotoDateStr, title: label, startDate: gotoDateStr, _goto: true })
+    out.unshift({
+      id: '__goto__' + gotoDateStr,
+      title: '📅 ' + formatTodayString(dateObj),
+      startDate: gotoDateStr,
+      _goto: true,
+    })
   }
   searchResults.value = out
   if (searchIndex.value >= out.length) searchIndex.value = 0
+  lastQuery = raw
 }
 
-watch(searchQuery, buildSearchResults)
+watch(searchQuery, (nv, ov) => {
+  buildSearchResults(nv.trim() !== lastQuery)
+})
 watch(
   () => calendarStore.events,
   () => {
-    if (searchQuery.value.trim()) buildSearchResults()
+    if (searchQuery.value.trim()) buildSearchResults(false)
   },
   { deep: true },
 )
 watch(
   () => props.referenceDate,
   () => {
-    if (searchQuery.value.trim()) buildSearchResults()
+    if (searchQuery.value.trim()) buildSearchResults(false)
   },
 )
 
@@ -124,19 +190,38 @@ function navigate(delta) {
   const n = searchResults.value.length
   if (!n) return
   searchIndex.value = (searchIndex.value + delta + n) % n
+  // Ensure active item is visible
   const r = searchResults.value[searchIndex.value]
-  if (r) emit('preview', r)
+  if (r) {
+    const el = document.getElementById('sr-' + r.id)
+    if (el) el.scrollIntoView({ block: 'nearest' })
+  }
+  if (previewTimer) clearTimeout(previewTimer)
+  if (r)
+    previewTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+      if (r === searchResults.value[searchIndex.value]) emit('preview', r)
+    }, 200)
 }
 function selectResult(idx) {
   searchIndex.value = idx
   const r = searchResults.value[searchIndex.value]
   if (r) {
+    if (previewTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(previewTimer)
+      previewTimer = null
+    }
     emit('activate', r)
     // Clear query after activation (auto-close handled by parent visibility)
     searchQuery.value = ''
   }
 }
 function handleSearchKeydown(e) {
+  if ((e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) && !e.altKey && !e.shiftKey && e.key.toLowerCase() === 'f') {
+    e.preventDefault()
+    e.stopPropagation()
+    focusSearch(true)
+    return
+  }
   if (e.key === 'ArrowDown') {
     e.preventDefault()
     navigate(1)
@@ -163,122 +248,220 @@ const activeResultId = computed(() => {
 })
 
 defineExpose({ focusSearch })
+onUnmounted(() => {
+  if (previewTimer) clearTimeout(previewTimer)
+})
+// global Ctrl/Cmd+F -> search
+let globalFindHandler = null
+onMounted(() => {
+  globalFindHandler = (e) => {
+    if ((e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) && !e.altKey && !e.shiftKey && e.key.toLowerCase() === 'f') {
+      e.preventDefault()
+      e.stopPropagation()
+      focusSearch(true)
+    }
+  }
+  window.addEventListener('keydown', globalFindHandler, { capture: true })
+})
+onUnmounted(() => {
+  if (globalFindHandler) {
+    window.removeEventListener('keydown', globalFindHandler, { capture: true })
+    globalFindHandler = null
+  }
+})
 
-function parseGoToDateCandidate(input) {
+function parseGoToDateCandidate(input, refStr) {
   const s = input.trim()
   if (!s) return null
-  const today = new Date()
-  const currentYear = today.getFullYear()
+  const base = refStr ? fromLocalString(refStr, DEFAULT_TZ) : new Date(),
+    baseYear = base.getFullYear()
+  // now/today -> system date
+  if (/^(now|today)$/i.test(s)) {
+    const sys = new Date()
+    return toLocalString(
+      makeTZDate(sys.getFullYear(), sys.getMonth(), sys.getDate(), DEFAULT_TZ),
+      DEFAULT_TZ,
+    )
+  }
   const localized = Array.from({ length: 12 }, (_, i) => getLocalizedMonthName(i))
-  function monthFromToken(tok) {
+  const monthFromToken = (tok) => {
     if (!tok) return null
-    const t = tok.toLowerCase()
-    if (/^\d{1,2}$/.test(t)) {
-      const n = +t
+    const tNorm = norm(tok.trim())
+    if (/^\d{1,2}$/.test(tok)) {
+      const n = +tok
       return n >= 1 && n <= 12 ? n : null
     }
     for (let i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
-      const ab = monthAbbr[i]
-      if (t === ab || t === ab.slice(0, 3)) return i + 1
+      if (norm(monthAbbr[i]) === tNorm || norm(monthAbbr[i].slice(0, 3)) === tNorm) return i + 1
     }
     for (let i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
-      const full = localized[i].toLowerCase()
-      if (t === full || full.startsWith(t)) return i + 1
+      const full = norm(localized[i])
+      if (full === tNorm || full.startsWith(tNorm)) return i + 1
     }
     return null
   }
-  // ISO full date or year-month (defaults day=1)
-  let mIsoFull = s.match(/^(\d{4})-(\d{2})-(\d{2})$/)
-  if (mIsoFull) {
-    const y = +mIsoFull[1],
-      m = +mIsoFull[2],
-      d = +mIsoFull[3]
-    const dt = makeTZDate(y, m - 1, d, DEFAULT_TZ)
-    return toLocalString(dt, DEFAULT_TZ)
+  // month token -> 15th of nearest year
+  const soleMonth = s.match(/^(\p{L}+)[.,;:]?$/u)
+  if (soleMonth) {
+    const rawMonthTok = soleMonth[1]
+    const m = monthFromToken(rawMonthTok)
+    if (m) {
+      let bestYear = baseYear
+      let best = Infinity
+      for (const cand of YEAR_SCAN_OFFSETS.map((o) => baseYear + o)) {
+        const mid = new Date(cand, m - 1, 15)
+        const diff = Math.abs(mid - base)
+        if (diff < best) {
+          best = diff
+          bestYear = cand
+        }
+      }
+      return toLocalString(makeTZDate(bestYear, m - 1, 15, DEFAULT_TZ), DEFAULT_TZ)
+    }
   }
-  let mIsoMonth = s.match(/^(\d{4})[-/](\d{2})$/)
-  if (mIsoMonth) {
-    const y = +mIsoMonth[1],
-      m = +mIsoMonth[2]
-    const dt = makeTZDate(y, m - 1, 1, DEFAULT_TZ)
-    return toLocalString(dt, DEFAULT_TZ)
+  const isoFull = s.match(/^(\d{4})-(\d{2})-(\d{2})$/)
+  if (isoFull) {
+    const y = +isoFull[1],
+      mm = +isoFull[2],
+      d = +isoFull[3]
+    return toLocalString(makeTZDate(y, mm - 1, d, DEFAULT_TZ), DEFAULT_TZ)
   }
-  // ISO week
-  const mWeek = s.match(/^(\d{4})-W(\d{1,2})$/i)
-  if (mWeek) {
-    const wy = +mWeek[1],
-      w = +mWeek[2]
+  // wNN -> Monday of nearest ISO week
+  const weekOnly = s.match(/^w(\d{1,2})[.,;:]?$/i)
+  if (weekOnly) {
+    const wk = +weekOnly[1]
+    if (wk >= 1 && wk <= 53) {
+      const has53Weeks = (year) => getISOWeek(makeTZDate(year, 11, 28, DEFAULT_TZ)) === 53
+      let bestYear = baseYear,
+        bestDiff = Infinity,
+        bestDate = null
+      for (const off of YEAR_SCAN_OFFSETS) {
+        const cand = baseYear + off
+        if (wk === 53 && !has53Weeks(cand)) continue
+        const jan4 = makeTZDate(cand, 0, 4, DEFAULT_TZ)
+        const target = addDays(jan4, (wk - 1) * 7)
+        const monday = getMondayOfISOWeek(target)
+        const diff = Math.abs(monday - base)
+        if (diff < bestDiff) {
+          bestDiff = diff
+          bestYear = cand
+          bestDate = monday
+        }
+      }
+      if (bestDate) return toLocalString(bestDate, DEFAULT_TZ)
+    }
+  }
+  const isoMonth = s.match(/^(\d{4})[-/](\d{2})$/)
+  if (isoMonth) {
+    const y = +isoMonth[1],
+      mm = +isoMonth[2]
+    return toLocalString(makeTZDate(y, mm - 1, 15, DEFAULT_TZ), DEFAULT_TZ)
+  }
+  // year+week variants
+  let isoWeek = s.match(/^(\d{4})[-/]?w(\d{1,2})$/i)
+  if (!isoWeek) isoWeek = s.match(/^w(\d{1,2})[-/]?(\d{4})$/i)
+  if (!isoWeek) isoWeek = s.match(/^(\d{4})\s+w(\d{1,2})$/i)
+  if (!isoWeek) isoWeek = s.match(/^w(\d{1,2})\s+(\d{4})$/i)
+  if (isoWeek) {
+    const wy = +isoWeek[1]
+    const w = +isoWeek[2]
     if (w >= 1 && w <= 53) {
-      const jan4 = new Date(Date.UTC(wy, 0, 4))
+      if (w === 53 && getISOWeek(makeTZDate(wy, 11, 28, DEFAULT_TZ)) !== 53) return null
+      const jan4 = makeTZDate(wy, 0, 4, DEFAULT_TZ)
       const target = addDays(jan4, (w - 1) * 7)
-      const monday = getMondayOfISOWeek(target)
-      return toLocalString(monday, DEFAULT_TZ)
+      return toLocalString(getMondayOfISOWeek(target), DEFAULT_TZ)
     }
     return null
   }
-  // Dotted: day.month[.year] or day.month. (trailing dot) or day.month.year.
   let d = null,
     m = null,
-    y = null
-  let mDot = s.match(/^(\d{1,2})\.([A-Za-z]+|\d{1,2})(?:\.(\d{4}))?\.?$/)
-  if (mDot) {
-    d = +mDot[1]
-    m = monthFromToken(mDot[2])
-    y = mDot[3] ? +mDot[3] : currentYear
-  } else {
-    // Slash month/day(/year) (month accepts names); year optional -> current year
-    let mUSFull = s.match(/^([A-Za-z]+|\d{1,2})\/(\d{1,2})\/(\d{4})$/)
-    if (mUSFull) {
-      m = monthFromToken(mUSFull[1])
-      d = +mUSFull[2]
-      y = +mUSFull[3]
+    y = null,
+    yearExplicit = false
+  const dot = s.match(/^(\d{1,2})\.([\p{L}]+|\d{1,2})(?:\.(\d{4}))?\.?$/u)
+  if (dot) {
+    d = +dot[1]
+    m = monthFromToken(dot[2])
+    if (dot[3]) {
+      y = +dot[3]
+      yearExplicit = true
+    }
+  }
+  if (m == null) {
+    const usFull = s.match(/^([\p{L}]+|\d{1,2})\/(\d{1,2})\/(\d{4})$/u)
+    if (usFull) {
+      m = monthFromToken(usFull[1])
+      d = +usFull[2]
+      y = +usFull[3]
+      yearExplicit = true
     } else {
-      let mUSShort = s.match(/^([A-Za-z]+|\d{1,2})\/(\d{1,2})$/)
-      if (mUSShort) {
-        m = monthFromToken(mUSShort[1])
-        d = +mUSShort[2]
-        y = currentYear
+      const usShort = s.match(/^([\p{L}]+|\d{1,2})\/(\d{1,2})$/u)
+      if (usShort) {
+        m = monthFromToken(usShort[1])
+        d = +usShort[2]
       }
     }
   }
-  // Free-form with spaces: tokens containing month names and numbers
-  if (!y && !m && !d) {
+  if (m == null) {
     const tokens = s.split(/[ ,]+/).filter(Boolean)
     if (tokens.length >= 2 && tokens.length <= 3) {
-      // Prefer a token with letters as month over numeric month
-      let monthIdx = tokens.findIndex((t) => /[a-zA-Z]/.test(t) && monthFromToken(t) != null)
+      let monthIdx = tokens.findIndex((t) => /\p{L}/u.test(t) && monthFromToken(t) != null)
       if (monthIdx === -1) monthIdx = tokens.findIndex((t) => monthFromToken(t) != null)
+      if (monthIdx !== -1) {
+        const monthTok = tokens[monthIdx]
+        const monthTokIsNum = /^\d{1,2}$/.test(monthTok)
+        const hasNonMonthLetter = tokens.some(
+          (t, i) => i !== monthIdx && /\p{L}/u.test(t) && monthFromToken(t) == null,
+        )
+        const otherNumeric = tokens.some((t, i) => i !== monthIdx && /^\d{1,2}$/.test(t))
+        if (monthTokIsNum && hasNonMonthLetter && !otherNumeric) {
+          monthIdx = -1
+        }
+      }
       if (monthIdx !== -1) {
         m = monthFromToken(tokens[monthIdx])
-        const others = tokens.filter((_t, i) => i !== monthIdx)
+        const others = tokens.filter((_, i) => i !== monthIdx)
         let dayExplicit = false
         for (const rawTok of others) {
-          const tok = rawTok.replace(/^[.,;:]+|[.,;:]+$/g, '') // trim punctuation
+          const tok = rawTok.replace(/^[.,;:]+|[.,;:]+$/g, '')
           if (!tok) continue
           if (/^\d+$/.test(tok)) {
             const num = +tok
             if (num > 100) {
               y = num
+              yearExplicit = true
             } else if (!d) {
               d = num
               dayExplicit = true
             }
           } else if (!y && /^\d{4}[.,;:]?$/.test(tok)) {
-            // salvage year with trailing punctuation
             const num = parseInt(tok, 10)
-            if (num > 1000) y = num
+            if (num > 1000) {
+              y = num
+              yearExplicit = true
+            }
           }
         }
-        if (!y) y = currentYear
-        // Only default day=1 if user didn't provide any day-ish numeric token
-        if (!d && !dayExplicit) d = 1
+        if (!d && !dayExplicit) d = 15
       }
     }
   }
+  if (m != null && d != null && !yearExplicit) {
+    let bestYear = baseYear,
+      bestDiff = Infinity
+    for (const cand of YEAR_SCAN_OFFSETS.map((o) => baseYear + o)) {
+      const dt = new Date(cand, m - 1, d)
+      if (dt.getMonth() !== m - 1) continue
+      const diff = Math.abs(dt - base)
+      if (diff < bestDiff) {
+        bestDiff = diff
+        bestYear = cand
+      }
+    }
+    y = bestYear
+  }
   if (y != null && m != null && d != null) {
     if (y < 1000 || y > 9999 || m < 1 || m > 12 || d < 1 || d > 31) return null
-    const dt = makeTZDate(y, m - 1, d, DEFAULT_TZ)
-    return toLocalString(dt, DEFAULT_TZ)
+    return toLocalString(makeTZDate(y, m - 1, d, DEFAULT_TZ), DEFAULT_TZ)
   }
   return null
 }
@@ -286,20 +469,18 @@ function parseGoToDateCandidate(input) {
 
 <style scoped>
 .search-bar {
+  flex: 0 1 20rem;
+  margin-inline: auto; /* center with equal free-space on both sides */
   position: relative;
-  min-width: 14rem;
-  flex: 1 1 clamp(14rem, 40vw, 30rem);
-  max-width: clamp(18rem, 40vw, 30rem);
-  min-width: 12rem;
 }
 .search-bar input {
   width: 100%;
   padding: 0.32rem 0.5rem;
+  padding-inline-start: 2.05rem; /* increased space for icon */
   border-radius: 0.45rem;
   border: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--muted) 35%, transparent);
   background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--panel) 88%, transparent);
   font: inherit;
-  font-size: 0.8rem;
   line-height: 1.1;
   color: var(--ink);
   outline: none;
@@ -308,6 +489,18 @@ function parseGoToDateCandidate(input) {
     box-shadow 0.15s ease,
     background 0.2s;
 }
+.search-bar::before {
+  content: '🔍';
+  position: absolute;
+  inset-inline-start: 0.55rem;
+  top: 50%;
+  transform: translateY(-50%);
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  opacity: 0.75;
+  line-height: 1;
+  filter: saturate(0.8);
+}
 .search-bar input:focus-visible {
   border-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--accent, #4b7) 70%, transparent);
   box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px color-mix(in srgb, var(--accent, #4b7) 45%, transparent);