Christmas Day in Colombia

A fixed date and a paid day of rest

Colombia’s Law 51 of 1983 gives public- and private-sector workers the right to paid rest on December 25. The same law provides for moving certain holidays to the following Monday, but Christmas Day is not among the holidays listed for transfer. Its holiday date therefore remains December 25, including when it falls on a weekend.[1]

The law also says holiday rest is remunerated on the same basis as Sunday rest, without a deduction for absence from work. It does not say that every person is off work: it establishes the right to paid rest for workers, while some may work on the holiday.[1]

A Colombian Christmas tradition

The Novena de Aguinaldos is a Catholic custom practiced in Colombia from December 16 to 24. Bogotá’s cultural department describes its prayers as commonly shared by family or friends near a nativity scene; children may read the prayers, and gatherings can continue with food, singing or dancing. The department traces the novena’s text to Fray Fernando de Jesús Larrea, who wrote it at the request of the founder of Bogotá’s Colegio de La Enseñanza, and says María Ignacia later revised it and added songs.[2]

Christmas has a wider Christian meaning as a celebration of Jesus’s birth. In Colombia, the nativity scene, known as a pesebre, features in accounts of the novena and seasonal worship, connecting the religious observance with household gatherings.[2][3]

Family gatherings, gifts and food

Many Colombian families gather on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, for a meal. Natilla and buñuelos are commonly associated with the season; the Bogotá cultural department also describes regional variety, naming pork, chicken, tamales, empanadas and arroz con pollo among foods served in different areas. These are examples rather than a menu followed by every household.[2]

Gift-giving customs vary by family. The Bogotá cultural department describes gifts being exchanged at midnight on Christmas Eve in some homes, while others wait until Christmas morning, when children may find gifts associated with the Niño Dios. Its account also describes the Novena as a time for families and friends to gather before Christmas Day.[2]

What to expect on December 25

The statutory holiday can affect work and services. Check directly with the office, business or transport operator you plan to use for its Christmas Day schedule.[1]