Hispanic Holidays

Below you will find a list of the most popular Hispanic holidays and other special dates and observances. Some Latino holidays are celebrated only in specific countries and/or communities. Others are observed by the Hispanic community as a whole, if only in slightly different ways.

What is your favorite Hispanic holiday? I hope you find it in the list below.

Come and celebrate with us!

Religious Celebrations

These are some of the most popular and best known holidays celebrated by Hispanics.

January 6 - Día de los Reyes Magos, Día de Reyes (Three Kings Day)

January 21 - Feast of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Our Lady of Highest Grace, Patron of the Dominican Republic)

Semana Santa (Holy Week) – The week that precedes Easter. (date varies)

July 25 - Santiago Apóstol (Saint James), patron saint of Spain

August 1-6 - El Divino Salvador del Mundo, patron saint of El Salvador

August 15 - Feast of the Assumption

September 8 - Feast of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre, patron virgin of Cuba

September 10 - St. George’s Day (Belize)

September 29 - The Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel and All the Angels. Celebrated in several Latin American cities.

October 18 – El Señor de los Milagros, patron saint of Lima (Perú)

November 1 – Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day)

November 2 - Día de los Difuntos or Day of the Dead (All Souls’ Day) (México, Central América) This is one of the best-known Mexican holidays

November 19 - Feast of Nuestra Señora de la Divina Providencia (Our Lady of Divine Providence), patron of Puerto Rico. This is one of the many Puerto Rican holidays

November 21 - Feast of Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace), patron saint of San Miguel, El Salvador

December 8 – La Inmaculada Concepción de María (The Immaculate Conception). This is a big Holiday in Nicaragua

December 12 - Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, the Feast Day of our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico

December 16-24 - Las Posadas (Mexico, Guatemala and other Central American countries)

December 24 – Nochebuena (Christmas Eve)

December 25 – Navidad (Christmas Day)

Special Dates and Observances

The following list of Hispanic holidays are not religious in nature but play an important role in the Hispanic culture.

Keep in mind that, as I mentioned above, some these holidays/special dates are only observed by specific countries and/or communities. Many others are celebrated by all Hispanics.

January 1- Año Nuevo (New Year’s Day)

January 10 - Birthday of Eugenio María de Hostos (Puerto Rico)

January 26 - Juan Pablo Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)

January 28 - Birth of José Martí (Cuba)

February 5 - Día de la Constitución (Mexico)

February 24 - Flag Day (Mexico)

March 21 – Birth of Benito Juárez (Mexico)

March 22 - Emancipation Day (Puerto Rico)

March 31 - César Chávez Holiday (California, Arizona and Texas)

May 1 - Día del Trabajo or Día del Trabajador (Labor Day)

May 5 - Cinco de Mayo. It commemorates La Batalla de Puebla (The Battle of Puebla) (México, US)

May 10 - Día de las Madres (Mother's Day), celebrated this day in Mexico and other Latin American countries (other countries celebrate Mother's Day during the month of May but in different dates). This is one of the most important Hispanic holidays.

June – Día del Padre (Father’s Day) – Most Latin American countries celebrate Father’s Day in June (date varies)

June 24 - Feast of San Juan Bautista, patron saint of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital. In Latin America this holiday is known as Día de San Pedro

July 6-14 - San Fermín Festival, also known as the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

July 24- Birth of Simón Bolívar (Venezuela and other Latin American countries)

July 25 - Constitution Day (Puerto Rico)

August 7 - Battle of Boyacá (Colombia)

August 17 - San Martín Day (Argentina)

September 23 - Grito de Lares (Puerto Rico)

October 10 - Grito de Yara (Cuba)

October 12 - Día de la Hispanidad. Also known as Día de La Raza in several Latin American countries. (Latin America, US)

December 6 – Constitution Day (Spain)

December 31 – Víspera de Año Nuevo (New Year’s Eve)

Independence Day

The following are not Hispanic holidays per se. However, I believe it is important to mention the independence day for our Latin American countries. Indeed, our countries celebrate our independence in a big way.

February 27 - Dominican Republic Independence Day

May 15 - Independence Day for Paraguay

May 20 – Cuba gains formal independence from Spain (1902).

May 25 - May Revolution Day

July 5 – Venezuela’s Independence Day

July 9 – Argentina’s Independence Day

July 20 – Colombia’s Independence Day

July 28 – Perú’s Independence Day

August 6 - Bolivia's Independence Day

August 10- Independence Day for Ecuador

August 25 - Independence Day for Uruguay

September 7 - Brazil's Independence Day

September 15 - Independence Day for five Central American nations (El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua)

September 16 - Mexican Independence Day

September 18 - Independence Day for Chile

September 21 – Belize’s Independence Day

November 3 - Independence Day for Panama

November 5 - First Call for Independence (El Salvador)

November 11 -Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia)

November 20 – Mexican Revolution Day

Hispanic Heritage Month

The National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States of America. It also commemorates the culture and heritage of the Hispanic people.

This national observance started in 1968 as a week-long celebration when President Lyndon Johnson approved the Hispanic Heritage Week. In 1988, President Reagan extended it to an entire month. The Hispanic Heritage Month was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.

The Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15.

I hope you enjoy this list of Hispanic holidays. I’ve tried to be as accurate as possible in compiling this list. If you find any errors or think I left out an important holiday/date, I will be soon adding a contact form so that you can let me know.

Check back as additional information on these Hispanic holidays will be added.

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