Almost every public holiday in Colombia falls on a Monday because of Law 51 of 1983, known as the Ley Emiliani. It says that eleven of the year's nineteen holidays, when they don't fall on a Monday, move to the following Monday. The other eight stay on their date, whatever day of the week that is. That is how the puente festivo was born: a long weekend with Saturday, Sunday and Monday off, when half the country drives out of the cities at once.
What does the Ley Emiliani say?
The law was issued on December 6, 1983. Its first article lists the paid days off, and a paragraph says that the holidays of January 6, March 19, June 29, August 15, October 12, November 1, November 11, Ascension, Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart "when they do not fall on a Monday, shall be moved to the following Monday".
That made ten movable holidays. In June 2026 an eleventh was added: Law 2578 of 2026 declared July 9, the Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, a national holiday and put it under the same rule. In 2026 the day off was Monday, July 13, and in 2027 it will be Monday, July 12.
Which holidays move and which don't?
These move to the following Monday:
- Epiphany, Reyes Magos (January 6)
- Saint Joseph, San José (March 19)
- Saints Peter and Paul, San Pedro y San Pablo (June 29)
- Our Lady of Chiquinquirá (July 9), since 2026
- Assumption of Mary (August 15)
- Day of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity (October 12)
- All Saints' Day (November 1)
- Independence of Cartagena (November 11)
- Ascension, Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart, which depend on Easter
These don't move: January 1, May 1, July 20 (Independence Day), August 7 (Battle of Boyacá), December 8, December 25, and Holy Thursday and Good Friday. If one of them falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no extra day off that year.
How are the holidays tied to Holy Week calculated?
First you find Easter Sunday: it is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21. That is why Easter never falls before March 22 or after April 25.
Once Easter is set, the rest follows:
- Ascension: a Thursday, 39 days after Easter. In Colombia the day off is the following Monday, 43 days after.
- Corpus Christi: a Thursday, 60 days after. The day off is the Monday, 64 days after.
- Sacred Heart: a Friday, 68 days after. The day off is the Monday, 71 days after.
In 2027 Easter falls on March 28. That puts Ascension on Monday, May 10, Corpus Christi on Monday, May 31 and the Sacred Heart on Monday, June 7. Semana Santa (Holy Week, the week before Easter and the busiest travel week of the year) is in March: Holy Thursday on the 25th and Good Friday on the 26th.
Why was it passed?
The author was Raimundo Emiliani Román (Cartagena, 1914 to Bogotá, 2005), a labor lawyer from the Conservative Party. He was Minister of Labor from 1957 to 1959, Minister of Justice in 1965, a senator from 1962 to 1978 and a member of the 1991 National Constituent Assembly. According to his biography, he defended the law as a way to make the country more productive and to help tourism grow: instead of a lone holiday in the middle of the week, a three-day weekend.
El Tiempo, Colombia's largest newspaper, describes it as one of the shortest laws in the country: four articles.
What does it change if you rent a finca?
A finca is a country house you rent whole, usually with a pool, for a group or a family. Every puente squeezes demand into two nights, and many owners ask for a two-night minimum. Melgar, about three hours away on the highway to Girardot, is one of the cheapest destinations in the tierra caliente (the hot lowlands) near Bogotá. If you want to go there on a long weekend, book weeks ahead. The median asking price in Melgar was COP 600,000 per night as of September 27, 2026. That is the price owners publish, not what guests ended up paying.
If you plan to travel on one, look at fincas near Bogotá, near Medellín or near Cali, or search Melgar and Anapoima directly. For the big dates, also read the Holy Week guide and the one on the October school break.
What they won't tell you
The Monday long weekend has a cost too. Everyone comes back on the same day at the same time. The Bogotá-Girardot highway can take 4 to 5 hours on a holiday Monday afternoon. Bogotá applies a regional pico y placa that day, a rule that only lets cars into the city in a time slot set by whether the license plate ends in an even or odd number.
And the fixed holidays are lost when they fall on a weekend. In 2027, May 1, August 7 and December 25 fall on a Saturday: three days off that simply don't exist that year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ley Emiliani?
It is Law 51 of 1983. It moves several public holidays to the following Monday when they don't fall on a Monday. It is named after its author, the conservative senator Raimundo Emiliani Román.
How many public holidays does Colombia have?
Nineteen since 2026. There were eighteen until Law 2578 of 2026 added July 9, the Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, which also moves to Monday.
Which holidays are not moved to Monday?
January 1, May 1, July 20, August 7, December 8, December 25, and Holy Thursday and Good Friday. They are observed on their date, even when they fall on a weekend.
How do you know when the Corpus Christi holiday is?
You count from Easter Sunday. Corpus Christi is a Thursday, 60 days later, and in Colombia the day off is the following Monday, 64 days later. In 2027 it is Monday, May 31.
If a holiday falls on a Sunday, is it moved to Monday?
Only if it is one of the eleven movable ones, which go to the following Monday anyway. The fixed ones, like Christmas or January 1, are not made up when they fall on a Saturday or Sunday.