Colombian holidays

bufalo says on Apr 30, 2008, 22:34:

Aside from Christmas and New Years, no one knows what the holidays are in Colombia.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

Frank Rizzo says on Apr 30, 2008, 22:37:

Hows it going bufalo?? How's skype working out for you...??? We spoke when you first got it hooked up......

honey says on May 1, 2008, 02:55:

Today is Ascension Thursday, the day Christ ascended into heaven - 40 days after Easter Sunday and 10 days before the Pentecost (coming of the Holy Spirit).

I teach in a Catholic Elementary School so it's a holiday for us because it is a holy day of obligation (must attend mass).

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

Lostgringo says on May 1, 2008, 02:58:

Holidays in Colombia. I swear they have one for every week of the year lol.

http://www.welovebogota.com
http://www.apartmentinbogota

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 02:59:

Yep, the Ascension. It's also First of May, the international workers' day; is that celebrated on Monday now instead, in Colombia?

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

kat1 (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 02:59:

what Honey? didn't know that I know we that today we celebrate the El dia del Trabajo but I don't know why in Colombia the have hoildays today and monday we usually run the holidays for Mondays not having it twice....

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 03:17:

El dia de la Ascenscion del Señor coincide con el Dia del trabajo este año.La Ascenscion es como la Semana Santa, una fiesta religiosa de fecha variable.

DIAS DE FIESTA

Enero 1 Año Nuevo
Enero 6 Día de Reyes
Marzo o Abril ( 2 días ) Jueves y Viernes Santo - Semana Santa
Marzo 19 Día de San Jos
Mayo 1 Día del Trabajo
Mayo Día de la Ascensión del señor ( variable )
Junio 29 San Pedro y San Pablo
Junio Sagrado Corazón ( Variable )
Julio 20 Día de la Independencia
Agosto 7 Batalla de Boyaca
Agosto 15 Día de la asunción
Octubre 12 Descubrimiento de América
Noviembre 1 Día de todos los Santos Difuntos
Noviembre 11 Independencia de Cartagena
Diciembre 8 Día de la Inmaculada Concepción
Diciembre 25 Navidad

Los días marcados en amarillo () se trasladan al Lunes siguiente, según disposiciones de la ley Emiliani para el fomento del turismo.


You can see the color guide here; http://www.turiscolombia.andes.com/dias_fiesta_colombia.html

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

honey says on May 1, 2008, 03:19:

El Dia Del Trabajo is a moveable holiday (in Colombia), which is why it's celebrated on Monday. I have to admit that I find it amusing that in a Catholic country some religious holidays are also moveable to accommodate a 3-day weekend.

USA TODAY ARTICLE:

Colombia leads world in public holidays

By Joshua Goodman, Associated Press Writer

BOGOTA, Colombia — Looking to get more time off? Move to Colombia. Renowned for its high murder rate, this Andean nation also leads the world in public holidays with 18 each year. Second-place Slovenia has 16, while Slovakia, Cyprus and Chile have 15 each, according to a new study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which advises busi
nesses in 42 countries. The United States has 10 federal holidays.

As overworked Americans bemoan their shrinking leisure time, a month rarely passes in Colombia without a three-day weekend.

Most of the holidays -- mandatory for both public and private-sector employees -- pay homage to Roman Catholic saints.

But don't ask Colombians which ones.

Most are blissfully ignorant of what allows them to pack their car trunks for the beach or mountains for yet another "puente," Spanish for "bridge" and Colombian for three-day weekend.

So much loafing around takes a toll on the economy.

Every June, which can cram in as many as three "puentes" depending on the year, factory and business output ebbs even while workers continue to collect their regular pay.

"There's no doubt this crushes productivity and increases costs for business," said Juan Carlos Echeverry, an economics professor at Andes University in Bogota. "But maybe it's the reason in survey after survey Colombians are always rated among the happiest people in the world."

Thanks to a 1983 law designed to stimulate domestic tourism, the bulk of the religious holidays are moved to the following Monday, even when they fall on a weekend.

Poorly paid street merchants, security guards, taxi drivers and those among the ranks of Colombia's vast informal economy do not take the days off.

Nor does workaholic President Alvaro Uribe, who this week even during a rare "vacation" is engaged in outdoor chores at his cattle ranch. An effort last year to overturn the 1983 law, by a senator loyal to Uribe, went nowhere.

But Colombia is hardly a workers' paradise.

Union leaders are subject to regular intimidation or worse. More than 800 were murdered over the past six years, mainly by right-wing paramilitaries.

And while three-day weekends may be great breathers for fatigued office workers, they are no substitute for long vacations.

For that, you'll want to consider Finland or France, which according to Mercer lead the world with 30 paid vacation days a year.

In that department, Colombia doesn't rate. It has just 15.

U.S. law, by comparison does not require paid vacation days for employees.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-08-01-1523656937_x.htm

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 03:23:

According to the web page above, it's the Day of the Ascension that is moveable, not the First of May (International Labour Day).

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

honey says on May 1, 2008, 03:34:

You're right Desideria, I had it backwards, my "oops"...I guess there are too many for me to keep track of...but you have to love the part of the article that says:

"...Most of the holidays -- mandatory for both public and private-sector employees -- pay homage to Roman Catholic saints.

But don't ask Colombians which ones.

Most are blissfully ignorant..."

This has definitely been the case in my experience, nobody ever knows why they have the day off from work.

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

kat1 (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 03:46:

but today is holidays in Colombia because is the first of May (labour day) or dia del trabajo so why they are having Monday off too?

amy excuse for not going to work eh :)))

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 04:06:

Kat, today is originally a double holiday, but only the Dia del Trabajo is being celebrated in Colombia today, the other one, el dia de la Ascension del Señor (a Thursday in May, variable date) is celebrated in Colombia on Monday. (Ley Emiliani transferred a whole bunch of holdays to the following Monday and the Ascencion was one of them.

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 04:07:

But yes, basically, it's good to have all those holidays, since Colombians have a very short paid vacation.

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

morphus says on May 1, 2008, 05:12:

Every other Monday is a holiday.

Boatygringo says on May 1, 2008, 05:44:

I think the USA ToDay article got it right
Most Colombians are blissfull ingnorant

Boatygringo

bufalo says on May 1, 2008, 08:05:

Frank! Doing good, haven't skyped too much but all's well...

Everyone here says it's dia del Trabajo

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

Mononoke28 says on May 1, 2008, 08:41:

Don't forget the Feria Holidays because in Tuluá every year during Feria most people have that week off to party. It's crazy.

Diana

jarhead says on May 1, 2008, 08:44:

I wonder how this whole holiday thing will play out once the FTA is signed, the Colombian tariff barriers disapear, and U.S. goods start to legally pour into this country, I wonder how Colombian companies are going to react?????? what will they do, when they find out they cannot compete, price wise with imported goods, because while the rest of the industrialized world is busy working away creating wealth, we here are laying by the pool at our fincas every other weekend...we'll see how all this plays out...if it plays out....

Mononoke28 says on May 1, 2008, 08:56:

I just don't understand how they party and go to fincas and river trips all the time when most can't afford it. Seriously. Here, I have to save every penny I have just to go to Pueblo or Colorado Springs and there they go on "paseos" each "puente" they have and party. It's hilarious! XD

Diana

pedro says on May 1, 2008, 09:16:

18 public holidays sounds like a lot. But if you consider that many regular jobs are 5.5 or 6 days a week...

It's really turning a 1.5 day weekend into a 2.5 day weekend.

Not to mention the people who "work" 7 days per week because they live hand to mouth, and people like apartment doormen who work crazy hours.

I once asked a doorman what hours he worked. He told me something like 12 to 15 consecutive days, 12 hours per day. Then a 3 day break. Then repeat.

¡save pow wow!

Colombiano_81 says on May 1, 2008, 11:33:

in spain it is also a holiday today..

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 1, 2008, 11:48:

Same here, in Sweden. It's a triple holiday here, The Ascension, Labour Day and Valborg (an obscure saint from our Catholic past...nowadays celebrated as spring festivity...with drunken revelry and bonfires, pretty much the same way as the Celts celebrated Beltane:))

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Robert Jorge says on May 1, 2008, 17:19:

Yep, Colombia is different - from a US perspective anyway. 17 or 18 holidays, probably as many local festivos, plus election days and other stuff - they have a month off a year pretty much anywhere in Colombia. BUT, I didn't meet anybody who had a job in Colombia that didn't work their butt off. Super long days - 12 hours is quite normal. Full time but minimum wage type jobs are typically 6 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day. My mother in law works in a "relaxed" atmosphere, and she is at work 6 days a week. Leaves home at 7am and usually gets home around 6pm. I've got cousins who haul live chickens around from 5am until 5 or 6pm at night. Even the few professionals I know in Colombia work 10 hour days, 6 days a week. I think the easiest job in Colombia is bank teller. 8am until 12pm. Then, a 2 hour lunch. Then 2pm until 5pm. Some stay until 7pm. And of course no customer service skills required - and potential pay-offs on the side if you set up customers to get ripped off when leaving after making a withdrawel.

Medellin Traveler says on May 2, 2008, 06:38:

Do you guys book trips to coincide with Colombian holidays?

It seems to me that it´s probably not a good idea because most people are at home with family. I like it when the streets are packed with crowds of people. This is usually not the case around holidays, with the exception of fiesta de flores and xmas lights.

El dia de los trabjadors was a freakin´ ghost town yesterday!

Lucky for me, I know a lot of people in the barrios who were more than happy to invite me over for food, drinks, and good times. I could not image what my day would have been like if I didn´t know anyone in Medellin.

Hopefully things will get better today, but with the holiday on Monday, many workers were given today off as well, so many of the locals take advantage of the long break and head for the countryside for a five day holiday.

We will see...........

Medellin Es Una Chimba! - www.medellintraveler.com

CatGirl says on May 2, 2008, 07:33:

Desi - Gracias BTW. There are sooo many holidays in Colombia and when you live in the EEUU and are Colombian....crazy to keep up. Even the travel websites I have seen in the past are not all that accurate because they cater to toursitas.

ooops! ....Did I say that?