Christmas Day in Curaçao

Meaning and public status

Christmas is a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. In Curaçao, the Labour Regulation recognizes both Christmas Day and the Second Day of Christmas as public holidays, on December 25 and 26 respectively.[2][3]

The government says employees have the day off and students do not attend school on official holidays. Workers assigned to shifts, including police, firefighters and nursing staff, may still be rostered; the government notes that compensation applies under the Labour Regulation.[1]

The government’s holiday listing specifies a next-working-day shift only for Labour Day when it falls on a Sunday or the King’s official birthday. It gives no equivalent substitute-day rule for Christmas.[1]

Food and seasonal customs

Curaçao’s Tourist Board describes ayaka as a staple of holiday cuisine, adapted from Venezuela. It is made with cornmeal dough filled with meat, vegetables and dried fruit, folded in plantain leaves, tied and boiled or steamed. Recipes vary by family.[4]

Other seasonal foods described by the Tourist Board include ham di Pasku, roasted Christmas ham served with piccalilli, and sult, pickled pig ears served as an appetizer. These are holiday-season dishes; ask local hosts about Christmas Day meals.[4]

Closures and shopping

The Curaçao Tourist Board’s Christmas notice says government offices, banks and most stores close for the holiday. Treat this as a general guide and check with a specific business before visiting, since individual opening arrangements can vary.[5]

Curaçao’s shop-closing law does not require every shop to close all day: on public holidays, ordinary shops may open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The law also exempts some businesses, including restaurants, hotels, pharmacies and shops in airport or hotel buildings, from those limits.[6]