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Paraguay public holidays: the 13 days set by law and the 2027 calendar
Short answer
Paraguay has 13 national holidays a year under Ley 7544/2025, published on September 3, 2025: January 1, March 1, Holy Thursday and Good Friday, May 1, May 14 and 15 (Independence Day), June 12, June 20, August 15, September 29, December 8 and December 25. The government can move 4 of them to a Monday by decree and add up to 3 more each year. The next ones are Tuesday, December 8 and Friday, December 25, 2026. Law read on October 7, 2026.
The 13 national holidays
| Holiday | Date | Weekday in 2027 | Movable |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 | Friday | No |
| Heroes' Day (Día de los Héroes de la Patria) | March 1 | Monday | Yes |
| Holy Thursday | Thursday before Easter | Thursday, March 25 | No |
| Good Friday | Friday before Easter | Friday, March 26 | No |
| Workers' Day | May 1 | Saturday | No |
| Independence Day | May 14 | Friday | No |
| Independence Day and Mother's Day | May 15 | Saturday | No |
| Chaco Peace Day (Paz del Chaco) | June 12 | Saturday | Yes |
| Constitution Oath Day (Jura de la Constitución Nacional) | June 20 | Sunday | Yes |
| Founding of Asunción | August 15 | Sunday | No |
| Battle of Boquerón Day | September 29 | Wednesday | Yes |
| Virgin of Caacupé Day | December 8 | Wednesday | No |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Saturday | No |
List in article 1 of Ley 7544/2025, read on October 7, 2026. Sundays are rest days too. The 2027 column gives the calendar day; a decree may move the 4 holidays marked Yes.
The other 9 stay on their date every year, including when it falls on a weekend (article 2).
Movable holidays, extra holidays and asuetos
A holiday is moved year by year: for 2027, check the 4 movable dates again before booking a trip or scheduling paperwork.
- Moving a holiday. Each year the government may move 4 holidays by decree to the Monday before or after: March 1, June 12, June 20 and September 29 (articles 2 and 3).
- Example from 2026. June 20 fell on a Saturday and the government moved the holiday to Monday, June 22, according to Agencia IP on June 9, 2026.
- Extra holidays. Up to 3 a year, set by decree to promote tourism and economic activity or mark special occasions, with the same effects as the others (article 4).
- Asueto. Time off declared by the government for public servants, for a whole day or part of one. It remains a working day; a deadline that ends that day moves to the next working day (article 7).
Work, pay and services on a holiday
We found no official list of closures for banks, notaries or consulates: confirm opening hours with the office before travelling for paperwork. Código del Trabajo (Ley 213/1993) read on October 7, 2026.
- Rest. Holidays set by law are mandatory rest days (Código del Trabajo, article 217).
- Pay. Hours worked on a holiday carry a 100% surcharge on the ordinary working-day hourly wage (article 234).
- Emergencies and essential services. Emergency medical services and essential public services keep running on holidays and asuetos (Ley 7544/2025, article 8).
- Migraciones. Its phone line answers Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 15:00, except holidays (page read on October 6, 2026).
Festivals and celebrations around the holidays
- December 8, Virgin of Caacupé. Pilgrims walk to Caacupé along Route PY02. In 2025 the Patrulla Caminera applied special traffic rules between km 37 and km 52.5, from Friday, December 5 at 17:00 to Monday, December 8 at 10:00 (Agencia IP).
- May 14 and 15, Independence Day. May 15 is also Mother's Day (Paraguay TV, the state channel).
- February 3, San Blas. The national tourism office presents him as the patron saint of Paraguay; the date is not among the national holidays.
- June, Fiesta de San Juan (San Juan Ára). It is celebrated across the country during the month; the Secretaría Nacional de Cultura declared it national intangible cultural heritage by Resolución 370/2026 of June 23, 2026. It is not a national holiday either.
- December 24 and 31. They are not in the law: Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are working days unless a decree says otherwise.