( Spanish) — Colombia will have 20 holidays in 2023, two more than in 2022.
The official holidays in Colombia are marked by the ‘Emiliani’ law or law 51 of 1983 as non-working days.
Some remain on their original date and others, by regulation, are moved to Monday. In 2023, in fact, a total of 13 public holidays fall on Monday.
There are two months without official holidays: February and September. The largest number is concentrated in April, when Easter is celebrated and there are four dates marked as holidays that do not move to Monday. In most months there are two holidays.
Holidays in Colombia in 2023
January
Sunday 1: New Year
Monday 9: Three Kings Day
February
There are no fixed holidays.
March
Monday 20: St. Joseph’s Day
April
Sunday 2: Palm Sunday
Thursday 6: Holy Thursday
Friday the 7th: Holy Friday
Sunday 9: Easter Sunday
May
Monday 1: Workday
Monday 22: ascension day
June
Monday 12: Corpus Christi
Monday 19: Sacred heart
July
Monday 3: Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Thursday 20: Independence Day
August
Monday 7: Boyaca’s battle
Monday 21: the assumption of the virgin
September
There are no holidays.
October:
Monday 16: Day of race
November
Monday 6: All Saints
Monday 13: Independence of Cartagena
December
Friday, 8: Immaculate Conception’s Day
Monday 25: Christmas day
Payments on Colombian holidays
The law 51 of 1983 establishes that all workers in the public and private sectors will have the right to “paid rest” on official holidays.
In addition, it sets which 10 holidays are moved to the Monday following the date on which they fall on the calendar.
The law is commonly known as Emiliano after Raimundo Emiliani Román, a politician who served as a congressman, minister and ambassador and who proposed the reform of the Labor Code to establish the holiday system that has been in force since the 1980s.