Some people love them and others prefer to avoid them. Those who enjoy the extra long weekends on the beach or in the mountains, and those who avoid crowds, avoid beach and mountains and enjoy a rather quiet urban environment. Whichever group you belong to, to help you plan you’ll find here the complete list of the official public holidays for Ecuador in this new 2021 ! Including a little explanation about Ecuadorian national and local holidays. One of the fun things about expat is that you find out about whole new public holidays, it’s a cultural and historical discovery with the delight of a free day (or several!)
I’ve divided the list in 3 categories according to the type of public holiday : the international and regular ones, the Ecuador national holidays and the local holidays, which only apply for a given part of the country.
International public holidays
Like in many countries, Ecuadorians start of the year with a holiday on January 1st.
It is followed in February by Carnival which is, as you probably know, a very important moment in the Latin American calendar, and like its neighbors Ecuador grants 2 extra days of fun. This year, the carnival will take place from Saturday 13th to Tuesday 16th.
In April, Easter in preceded by Good Friday, on the 2nd, enabling Ecuadorians to enjoy a three-day-long weekend.
International Labor Day, on May 1st, will be on a Saturday this year. But according to the Law in Ecuador, public holidays planned during the weekend are automatically moved to the closest week day. In this case, Ecuadorians will enjoy a free day on Friday 30th, April.
Finally, Christmas will also be on a Saturday, so the holiday will start from Friday 24th until Sunday 26th of December.
Ecuador National public holidays
In May, Ecuador commemorates the Pichincha battle of May 24th, 1822 , a tactical victory against the spanish army, despite their superiority in number. This event marked a big step towards the Spanish admitting the Independence of Ecuador.
Speaking of independence, in August, during a holiday from Saturday 7th to Monday 9th, Ecuadorians commemorate their National Day, called the first Shout of Independence, in reference to a group of wealthy men wanting to take advantage of Spain’s invasion by Napoleon, in 1809, to try and claim independence on the night of August 9 to August 10.
On October 9th, Ecuadorians celebrate the anniversary of the first step towards independence : the Independence of Guayaquil, in 1820. As this day will be a Sunday this year, the holiday is moved to the following Monday, granting a new three-days weekend.
As in many countries, All-Saints day (November 1st) is a holiday, immediately followed by the day of the deceased on the 2nd and a national holiday on the 3rd, the Independence of Cuenca, an ecuadorian city which decided to follow Guayaquil’s lead and declared its independence less than a month later, in 1820. Check out the calendar: this means you are good for 5 free days straight!
Local public holidays in Ecuador
The international and national holidays are locally completed by holidays that are only specific to their respective province.
For instance, in Quito and its surroundings, the Quito celebrations, commemorating the founding of the city of Quito, in 1534, take place on December 6th. In 2021 it will be on a Monday, providing Quito’s population with a three-day-long weekend.
In Guayaquil, people will work on December 6th, but they will enjoy another holiday on July 25th, commemoration of Guayaquil’s founding in 1538 by conquistador Francisco de Orellana. Again, this day being a Sunday, the holiday is moved to the following Monday, July 26th, yet another 3-day-long weekend.
Interesting fact about public holidays in Ecuador :
Ecuadorians include the attached weekends when they count their holidays, so from 11 national and international holidays + 1 local holiday, the official total count of holidays goes up to 29 free days !
That is a nice amount of longer weekends, isn’t it !
Is that comparable to your country ? More ? Less ?