Costa Rica Debate Grows Over Moving Annexation Holiday

Nicoya authorities are pushing back against a proposal in Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly that would move the July 25 holiday commemorating the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya to the following Monday, arguing that the date itself is part of Guanacaste’s identity.

The Municipal Council of Nicoya approved a motion on May 19 asking lawmakers to remove July 25 from bill 25.593, a proposal that seeks to move several national holidays to Mondays to create long weekends. The council said the Annexation should continue to be observed on its original calendar date, not shifted for tourism or economic convenience.

The bill, introduced by ruling-party lawmaker Wilson Jiménez of the Partido Pueblo Soberano, would move five holidays to the Monday following their official date. Those include Juan Santamaría Day on April 11, the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya on July 25, Our Lady of the Angels Day on August 2, the Day of the Black Person and Afro-Costa Rican Culture on August 31, and Army Abolition Day on December 1.

Supporters of the proposal argue that long weekends help domestic tourism, local businesses and families by giving people more time to travel and rest. Costa Rica used a similar system after the Covid-19 pandemic as a temporary measure to help revive tourism and commerce.

Tourism leaders have backed the idea. Canatur, the National Chamber of Tourism, said long weekends generate movement in tourist areas and help small and medium-sized businesses that depend on local visitors.

But in Nicoya, July 25 is not being treated as an ordinary day off. The municipal motion described the date as the most important civic commemoration for Guanacaste and noted that Law No. 2034 declared July 25 a national holiday in recognition of the people of the former Partido de Nicoya and their incorporation into Costa Rica.

The disagreement highlights a recurring tension in Costa Rica’s holiday calendar: the economic appeal of long weekends versus the cultural weight of celebrating historic dates on the day they occurred. For Guanacaste, July 25 marks the 1824 decision by the Partido de Nicoya to join Costa Rica, a milestone that remains central to the province’s civic and cultural identity.

The Nicoya council said its agreement will be sent to the Legislative Assembly and to other Guanacaste municipalities as part of an effort to block July 25 from being included in the proposed holiday shift. The proposal has not yet cleared the first legislative steps. Since the Assembly is currently in extraordinary sessions, the bill must be formally called by the Executive Branch to move forward before August 1; otherwise, it would have to wait until ordinary sessions resume.

For now, July 25 remains unchanged. But the debate has already drawn a clear line between those who see long weekends as an economic tool and those who argue that some national dates should stay exactly where they are on the calendar.

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المصدر: Tico Times