Christmas Day in Panama

A national day of rest

Panama’s Labor Code lists December 25 among the dates of mandatory rest for national holidays. MITRADEL says this rule applies to public entities nationwide and to private-sector companies and activities, making Christmas Day a legal rest day for workers covered by the rule.[1][2]

The law also sets out what happens when a holiday falls on a Sunday: the following Monday becomes the mandatory weekly rest day. If a holiday coincides with a worker’s regular weekly rest day on another day, the worker is entitled to another day off as compensation. Employees required to work on a holiday are entitled to the compensation set out in the Code.[1]

A Christian celebration with local traditions

Christmas commemorates the Nativity, or birth of Jesus. In Panama, the holiday is observed within a wider season of end-of-year traditions, and customs vary among communities.[3]

One distinctive example is the Bunde in Darién. A participant from Garachiné described it to Panama’s Ministry of Government as a religious dance tradition that brings together different ethnic influences in Darienita culture. The account says its festivities run from December 6 to January 6, with celebrations continuing through the night from December 24; the Bunde centers on the image of the Child Jesus, alongside songs and dances that refer to other Christmas figures.[3]

The Ministry’s account also records a speaker’s observation that Indigenous communities now commemorate Christmas, although the Nativity was not part of their earlier traditions. These accounts describe particular cultural settings, rather than a single custom followed by every Panamanian family.[3]

Planning around the holiday

Christmas Day is a legal rest day for public entities and private-sector work in Panama.[1][2]

For workers asked to work on December 25, the Labor Code provides a holiday-work premium and compensatory rest. The Sunday rule is separate: the Monday rest day applies when the holiday itself falls on Sunday.[1]