The Government of Gustavo Petro has sanctioned a law declaring July 9 a public holiday in homage to the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, patron saint of Colombia according to Catholic tradition. Although it was signed on Monday, the information became known this Thursday, amidst political tensions over the ongoing presidential elections, but it comes from a long legislative procedure.
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The bill dates back to 2024, when it was presented to the Legislature by House Representative Wilmer Yair Castellanos, from the Green Alliance party. Its objective was to link the nation to the tributes to the municipality of Chiquinquirá, upon the 440th anniversary of its founding. By including July 9 as a holiday and mentioning a 1983 law that moves these days to the following Monday, with few exceptions, the presidential sanction implies that, this year, July 13 will be a public holiday Monday.
Chiquinquirá, known as Promise City, is one of the most important Catholic religious pilgrimage sites in Colombia. According to the decree, in addition to commemorating the municipality’s founding date, the holiday also celebrates 216 years since its constitution as a republican town in 1810, and 40 years since Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1986. The document adds: “The National Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, which is commemorated on July 9 of each year, is declared a national holiday.” This holiday, the decree continues, is mandatory throughout the country, granting a paid day off to workers in both the private and public sectors.
After being presented in 2024, the bill landed in the Senate with the help of government legislator Jahel Quiroga. In that body, it advanced smoothly and with support from all types of benches. In the House, its rapporteur was the conservative and Catholic representative Luis Miguel López. In this way, Colombia completes 19 public holidays in the year, 16 of which become long weekends (i.e., they are moved to the following Monday, to combine them with weekend rest). This places the South American country in 10th place on the list of nations with the most public holidays on the planet.
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