Christmas Day in Haiti

A public holiday on December 25

Haiti’s labour guidance lists December 25 as Christmas Day, a non-working public holiday. It says workers are entitled to the day without a reduction in wages, except when they are employed for temporary work. The holiday is fixed to December 25.[1]

The labour guidance explains workers’ holiday entitlement, but does not set opening hours for every public office, bank, shop or transport service. Check directly with the places and operators you plan to use.[1]

Christmas observances in Haiti

A United Nations account of Christmas in Haiti describes midnight Mass and réveillons, or gatherings with friends and family, alongside music and dancing during the end-of-year season. The account presents these as customs found in Haiti, without suggesting that every household observes the holiday in the same way.[3]

The same account documents fanaux, lanterns made in forms such as small houses and miniature churches. In the Port-au-Prince area, artisans described making them from layered cardboard or colored paper, with light provided by a candle or electric bulb. The report places the lanterns in homes and public displays during the Christmas and New Year period.[3]

Fanaux and local craft

Fanaux give Christmas displays a distinct handmade element. The UN report describes artisans sketching building shapes, assembling the pieces, and adding colored tissue paper so light can pass through. Some lanterns bear seasonal greetings in Haitian Creole, French, English or Spanish, depending on the customer’s preference.[3]

The report records uncertainty about where the tradition began. A professor at the State University of Haiti said he had learned to make fanaux as a child but did not know their origin.[3]

Planning around the holiday

For workers covered by the labour provisions, December 25 is a paid non-working holiday, subject to the stated exception for temporary work. Check with banks, shops and transport providers before making plans.[1]