QCOSTARICA – Today, Monday, January 2, unlike other parts of the world, is not a holiday day in Costa Rica.
The legal or mandatory holiday was on Sunday, January 1. Like Christmas Day, December 25, January 1, falling on a Saturday or Sunday, does not move to the nearest Monday.
For those who worked on Sunday, they are entitled to double pay, as will those who work on most of the 12 holidays that 2023 will have.
In total, there are 12 holidays this year that involve seven long weekends (three or more consecutive days).
After this Sunday, the next holiday is Semana Santa (Holy Week), from April 2 to 9. While the public sector always has the whole week off, the private sector had off Holy Thursday (April 6) and Good Friday (April 7), in addition to Saturday and Sunday (April 8 and 9).
However, this year, there is the Tuesday, April 11 holiday the celebration of Juan Santamaría, a holiday that moves to the nearest Monday, this year, it would be April 10.
Thus, for Semana Santa this year, the private sector has five consecutive days off work (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday). Needless to say, those in the private sector who are required to work on Saturday and Sunday are paid their regular day; if required to work on Thursday, Friday, and/or Monday, each day is a double pay.
The next legal or mandatory holiday will be two weeks later, on May 1, Labor Day in Costa Rica, which falls on a Monday.
Next is the Annexation of Nicoya, in Guanacaste or “Guanacaste Day), on July 25, which will take place the day before, on Monday, July 24.
Following is the Day of the Virgin of Los Angeles, on Wednesday, August 2, which will remain the same day.
Mother’s Day, the mother of all holidays in Costa Rica, is on August 15. This year the holiday will be enjoyed the day before, Monday, August 14, which will allow for a long weekend. But as it has happened in the past, August 15 is Mother’s Day, and be damned if legislators move it to the day before*, the holiday will most likely extend to four days (Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday).
The third holiday to occur in August is on the 31st, Afro-Costa Rican Day, however, it will be transferred to Sunday, September 3.
The next holiday is September 15, Independence Day. Unlike in 2022, the holiday will be celebrated on the day it falls, in this case a Friday, thus another long weekend.
The same happens with December 1, Day of the Abolition of the Army, which falls on a Friday, and the holiday will be enjoyed that same day.
The last holiday of the year will be Monday, Christmas Day, celebrated on December 25. Another long weekend.
As you can see (read), 2023 is full of long weekends (including an extra long weekend),
*The previous Legislative Assembly (2018-2022), promoted by then-legislator Roberto Thompson, as a measure for economic recovery after the pandemic, established a number of holidays in 2020 to 2024 to move to the following Monday.
