Public holidays in Puerto Rico

, [cite web |url=http://welcome.topuertorico.org/descrip.shtml |title=Puerto Rico description |accessdate=2007-09-22 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=WelcometoPuertoRico.org] and a large number of other which are official holidays established by the Commonwealth government.

Additionally, many municipalities celebrate their own Patron Saint Festivals ("fiestas patronales" in Spanish), as well as festivals honoring cultural icons like "Bomba y plena", "danza", salsa, "hamacas" (hammocks), and popular crops such as plantains and coffee.

Official public holidays

Official public holidays are those which are recognized by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico government. All public offices are required to close. Many businesses also elect to close. These public holidays include both federal and commonwealth-established holidays, since Puerto Rico recognizes all U.S.federal holidays.

Date	English name	Local name (in Spanish)	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	"Día de Año Nuevo"	As in most countries, this holiday is celebrated with gatherings and fireworks. Although illegal, celebratory gunfire has sometimes led to injuries and even deaths on certain occasions. [cite web |url=http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2003/vol7n02/Media3-es.html |title=Niña abatida por una supuesta bala perdida en Nochevieja muere en un hospital puertorriqueño |accessdate=2007-09-22 |author=Frank Griffiths |date=2003-01-06 |work= |publisher=Puerto Rico Herald]
January 6	Three Kings Day/ Epiphany	"Día de Reyes"	This is a Commonwealth of Puerto Rico official holiday, as well as a religious holiday. It celebrates the Three Wise Men's visit to see the newborn Christ by exchanging gifts. Traditionally, children stack bundles of hay in boxes under their beds for each King's camel, to then find their boxes exchanged for gifts. [cite web |url=http://welcome.topuertorico.org/glossary/index.shtml#king |title=Glossary |accessdate=2007-09-22 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Welcome.toPuertoRico.org]
January 11	Birthday of Eugenio María de Hostos	"Natalicio de Eugenio María de Hostos"	This is a Commonwealth of Puerto Rico official holiday. In recent years it has been celebrated on the 2nd Monday of January. Eugenio María de Hostos (1839–1903) was a writer and statesman who struggled for Puerto Rican independence and the end to slavery in the late 19th century.
Third Monday in February	Presidents' Day, Washington's Birthday	"Día de los Presidentes" "Natalicio de Washington"	A federal and commonwealth official holiday.
February 18	Birthday of Luis Muñoz Marín	"Natalicio de Luis Muñoz Marín"	Luis Muñoz Marín (1898–1980), was the first democratically elected Rico. He founded the Partido Popular Democrático, and was instrumental in established the Commonwealth status in 1952. He was a noted journalist and poet, and served four terms as governor. His birthday is now celebrated concurrently with Washington and Lincoln.
March 22	Emancipation Day	"Día de la Abolición de Esclavitud"	A Commonwealth of Puerto Rico official holiday. Slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico in 1873 while the Island was still a colony of Spain.
Friday in late March or early April	Good Friday	"Viernes Santo"	An official public holiday and a religious holiday; see notes below in the religious holidays section.
April 16	Birthday of José de Diego	"Natalicio de José de Diego"	A Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (ELA) official holiday. José de Diego (1867–1918) was a much-loved poet and politician leader. In recent years the holiday has been celebrated on the third Monday of April.
Last Monday of May	Memorial Day	"Recordación de los Muertos de la Guerra"	A federal and commonwealth official holiday.
July 4	Independence Day	"Día de la Independencia de los Estados Unidos" "Día de la Independencia"	A federal and commonwealth official holiday.
Third Monday of July	Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera	"Natalicio de Don Luis Muñoz Rivera"	A Commonwealth of Puerto Rico holiday, celebrated in recent years on the 4th of July. Don Luis Muñoz Rivera (1859–1916) was a prominent journalist, poet, and politician who advocated independence from Spain and later, the United States. His son Luis Muñoz Marín was the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico.
July 25	Commonwealth Constitution Day	"Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico"	An official Commonwealth of Puerto Rico holiday. See also Constitution of Puerto Rico. Formerly called Occupation Day, commemorating the anniversary of the landing of American troops at Guánica in 1898.
July 27	Birthday of Dr. José Celso Barbosa	"Natalicio de Dr. José Celso Barbosa"	Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (ELA) holiday. Dr. José Celso Barbosa (1857–1921) was a medical doctor and an early advocate of statehood, founder of the Republican Party on the Island.
First Monday in September	Labor Day	"Día del Trabajo"	A federal and commonwealth official holiday.
Second Monday in October	Columbus Day	"Día de la Raza" "Descubrimiento de América"	A federal and commonwealth official holiday.
November 11	Veterans Day	"Día del Veterano" " Día del Armisticio"	A federal and commonwealth official holiday, usually observed at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery.
November 19	Discovery of Puerto Rico	"Día del Descubrimiento de Puerto Rico"	A Commonwealth of Puerto Rico official holiday. Christopher Columbus (Don Cristóbal Colón) landed on the northwest coast of Puerto Rico near Aguada on his second voyage to the New World in 1493. alan Puerto Rico is the only territory associated with the United States that Columbus saw with his own eyes.
Fourth Thursday in November	Thanksgiving Day	"Acción de Gracias" "Día de Acción de Gracias"	A federal and commonwealth official holiday.
December 24	Christmas Eve	"Día de Noche Buena"	A Commonwealth of Puerto Rico official holiday, sometimes only a half-day off work
December 25	Christmas	"Día de Navidad" "Navidad" "Nacimiento del niñito Jesús" "Día del niño Jesús"	Delivery day for Santa Claus. Like in the mainland United States, Santa Claus will leave the Christmas presents under the "Arbolito" Christmas tree. No other country on the planet celebrates a holiday for so long; while many countries that celebrate Christmas may last a couple of days (four or five), in Puerto Rico they generally start with December, and end Jan.17th.
December 31	New Year's Eve	"Año Viejo"	A Commonwealth of Puerto Rico official holiday; like Christmas Eve, sometimes only a half-day off work

Religious holidays

Date	English name	Local name (in Spanish)	Remarks
January 5	Eve of Epiphany	"Víspera de los Tres Reyes Magos"	Puerto Rican children leave a box with grass for the camels of the Three Wise Men and a glass of water for the "magos" themselves.
January 6	Three Kings Day Epiphany Twelfth Night	"Día de los Tres Reyes Magos"	Children find that the camels ate the grass and the Three Kings drank the water left for them by the kids the day before. Hopefully the Kings left presents under the bed.
the week before Ash Wednesday	Carnival	"Carnaval"	Like other Catholic cultures (Brazil, Trinidad, Louisiana), the solemn 40 days of Lent is preceded in Puerto Rico by a massive blow-out with elaborate costumes and parades. In the port city of Ponce in particular, Carnival time means characters in the streets wearing incredible folkloric, horned-devil masks, called "vejigantes".
First day of Lent	Ash Wednesday	"Miércoles de Ceniza"	Devout Roman Catholic Puerto Ricans abstains to eat meat & poultry , and also makes fasting. Regularly attends to church services.
Sunday before Easter Sunday	Palm Sunday	"Domingo de Ramos"
Palm Sunday through Easter	Holy Week	"Semana Santa"	Most schools, colleges, and universities give the complete week as a recess to students.
Friday before Easter	Good Friday	"Viernes Santo"	This is the most solemn day of the whole year on the Island. Every business will be closed.
Easter	Easter	"Domingo de la Resurrección" "Domingo de Pascuas"
June 24	Saint John's Day	"Día de San Juan Bautista" "Fiestas de San Juan"	Since John the Baptist is the patron saint of the Island and the namesake of the capital city (San Juan), his day is widely celebrated by big parties on the beaches. One tradition is to walk backward into the ocean and fall in at the end of the party.
December 24	Christmas Eve	"Nochebuena" "Día de Nochebuena"	Christmas traditions in Puerto Rico include a large supper with families and friends on Xmas Eve, and the Midnight Mass or "misa de gallo."Anytime during "las navidades" neighbors and friends make a "parranda" or "asalto", going from house to house singing Puerto Rican Christmas carols. Once everything has been eaten and drunk, the erstwhile 'host' joins the "trulla" and they all go to somebody else's house to eat and drink.
December 28	Day of the Innocents, Festival of the Masks	"Día de los Innocentes" "Día de las Máscaras en Hatillo"	A Christmas season tradition in the town on Hatillo on the north coast. Similar to Mardi Gras "crewes" in Louisiana, teams of friends totally cover cars, trucks, and floats with elaborate frilly decorations, and wearing head-to-toe costumes, they cruise the country roads, playing practical jokes along the way. There is a not-to-be missed half-day long parade, full of loud noise and brilliant colors. The tricksters commemorate Herod's soldiers and the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem.