All Saints’ Day in Colombia
All Saints’ Day is a public holiday in Colombia, with a paid day of rest for public and private sector workers. The Catholic solemnity remains on November 1, while Colombian law moves the day off to Monday when the date does not fall on a Monday.[1][2]
A Monday rest day under Colombian law
Law 51 of 1983 lists November 1 among the religious holidays that qualify for paid rest. It directs that the rest day for this celebration moves to the following Monday if November 1 falls on another day. The law applies to workers in both the public and private sectors.[1]
The law provides that holiday rest is paid without a deduction from a worker’s pay. It also says that benefits and rights arising from work on a holiday are tied to the legally established rest day. The rule makes the Monday rest day the practical public holiday, even though the religious observance stays on its traditional date.[1]
Religious meaning and date
The Colombian bishops’ conference identifies November 1 as the Solemnity of All Saints. Its liturgical guidance connects the celebration with the call to holiness, the Beatitudes and the Christian belief in the communion of saints.[2]
The conference also distinguishes the liturgical solemnity from a holy day of obligation: its 1983 guidance says November 1 remains a solemnity in the Church calendar but is not a day when Catholics in Colombia are obliged to attend Mass or abstain from work. The Monday shift in labor law therefore changes the paid day of rest, not the religious date.[1][2]
Planning around the holiday
For residents and visitors, the key date to plan around is the Monday designated for paid rest under the law. The legislation establishes that rest entitlement. Check opening hours with any office or business before you go, and confirm travel arrangements with your carrier.[1]
Frequently asked questions
Is All Saints’ Day a paid public holiday in Colombia?
Yes. Law 51 of 1983 gives workers in both the public and private sectors the right to paid rest for the holiday. It also provides that remuneration for holiday rest is calculated as for Sunday rest, without a deduction for absence from work.[1]
When is the holiday observed?
Is November 1 a Catholic holy day of obligation in Colombia?
No. The Colombian bishops’ conference says the date remains a liturgical solemnity, but is no longer a holy day of obligation requiring Mass attendance or abstention from work.[2]
Are shops, banks and public offices closed?
Check opening hours with government offices and banks before you go.[1]
Sources and references
Sources used for All Saints' Day in Colombia:
- Ley 51 de 1983 - Gestor Normativo- Departamento Administrativo de la Función Pública
- Instrucción pastoral con ocasión del nuevo calendario de días festivos religiosos en Colombia - 1983- Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia