Mexico has more celebrations than mandatory holidays. Neither the Day of the Dead nor Holy Week is among the seven holidays recognized annually by the Federal Labor Law (LFT). This places Mexico among the countries with the fewest holidays in Latin America.
The Federal Labor Law establishes fewer than ten official holidays. The calendar of mandatory rest days does not include celebrations such as the Day of the Dead and Holy Week.
The distinction between a holiday and a mandatory rest day determines when there is a right to paid leave and what compensation a worker is entitled to if they must work. In Mexico, the reference for labor relations governed by the LFT is Article 74, which lists only seven recurring dates and two additional scenarios: when there are ordinary elections and December 1 if a new president takes office.
Mandatory Days Off in Mexico
| Mandatory rest | Date or rule established by the LFT |
|---|---|
| New Year | January 1 |
| Anniversary of the Constitution | First Monday of February, in commemoration of February 5 |
| Benito Juárez’s birthday | Third Monday of March, in commemoration of March 21 |
| Labor Day | May 1 |
| Independence Day | September 16 |
| Anniversary of the Revolution | Third Monday of November, in commemoration of November 20 |
| Christmas | December 25 |
Mexico recognizes seven mandatory holidays that are repeated each year, a number lower than that of several Latin American countries. However, the comparison requires nuance: some legislations distinguish between paid holidays and working holidays, while others incorporate extra days off for a specific year. In any case, Mexico lags considerably behind even considering the particularities of other countries in the region.
Mandatory Days Off in Latin America
| Country | Days off | What the figure includes |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 19 | July 9, the Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, is added to the 18 dates listed in Article 177 of the Substantive Labor Code. Law 2578 of 2026 grants paid leave to both the public and private sectors. |
| Argentina | 16 | Recurring national holidays under Article 1 of Law 27.399: 12 fixed and four movable. This does not include Holy Thursday, classified as a non-working day, nor additional tourist days. |
| Chile | 16 | This includes Good Friday and Holy Saturday, National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and other national holidays. Only five are mandatory and non-waivable for retail workers, with some exceptions. |
| Peru | 16 | Paid national holidays of Legislative Decree 713 and its amendments. |
| Nicaragua | 15 | Mandatory national holidays with the right to rest and salary, following the reform of article 66 of the Labor Code of January 2026. |
| Venezuela | 14 | They are divided into fixed holidays and movable holidays, the latter being linked to the liturgical calendar. |
| Paraguay | 13 | National holidays of Law 7544/2025. Includes two double days: Thursday and Friday in Holy Week, and May 14 and 15 for National Independence Day. |
| Costa Rica | 12 | Official calendar for 2026: nine mandatory paid holidays and three non-mandatory paid holidays. |
| Dominican Republic | 12 | Days on the official 2026 calendar, including Good Friday and Corpus Christi. |
| Bolivia | 11 | Article 2 of Supreme Decree 2750 lists 11 days, including two days of carnival. For 2026, Supreme Decree 5521 added June 5 and August 7. |
| Ecuador | 11 | Article 65 of the Labor Code includes 11 national holidays. These include Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and November 2 and 3. |
| Honduras | 11 | Article 339 of the Labor Code includes Thursday, Friday and Saturday of Holy Week. |
| Brazil | 9 | The Constitution also considers election days as national holidays. |
| Mexico | 7 | Recurring mandatory rest periods under Article 74 of the Federal Labor Law. This does not include the six-year presidential transition period or election days as determined by law. |
| Uruguay | 5 general paid holidays | Dates established in article 18 of Law 12.590. There are also common holidays (mandatory in the public sector and education, working days in the private sector), which are not included in this total. |
Day of the Dead and Holy Week Are Not Holidays in Mexico
The Mexican calendar does not recognize November 2, Holy Thursday, or Good Friday as mandatory holidays. It also does not include May 5, May 10, or December 12. While these holidays may affect a company’s operations, their mere observance does not obligate it to take a day off.
This explains one of the differences with, for example, Ecuador and Nicaragua, which incorporate Holy Week days into their national calendars, while Mexico does not. Ecuador does recognize November 2 (All Souls’ Day) as a holiday, even though the holiday is more closely associated with Mexico.
How Much Are Workers Paid for Working on a Public Holiday?
In Mexico, working on a mandatory holiday entitles a worker to additional pay. Article 75 stipulates that, in addition to the regular day’s pay, the employee must receive double pay for the work performed. This amounts to triple pay for that day. For example, a person with a daily wage of 500 pesos is entitled to a total of 1,500 pesos for working on a mandatory holiday: 500 for the holiday itself and an additional 1,000 for working on it.
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