Juan Pablo Duarte Day in Dominican Republic in 2025
A provision of Law 139-97 indicates that any holiday that falls during the week will be moved to the previous Friday or the following Monday so as not to interrupt the work calendar and thus not affect the economic productivity of the country. This is why the celebration of Duarte's birthday, which is on January 26th will be observed on Monday January 27th 2025.
When is Juan Pablo Duarte Day?
Juan Pablo Duarte Day is a public holiday in the Dominican Republic, observed on 26th January.
Also known as Duarte's Birthday, this day commemorates the birth of one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic.
History of Juan Pablo Duarte Day
Duarte was born on 26 January 1813 in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone.
The Dominican Republic gained independence from Span in 1821 but had quickly come under Haitian control. In July 1838, Duarte and others established a secret nationalist society called 'La Trinitaria'. 'La Trinitaria' was a driving force in undermining Haitian occupation, leading to the liberation from Haiti in the Dominican War of Independence in 1844.
After gaining independence, Duarte rejected the opportunity to assume the presidency. Pedro Santana became president promising closer ties with Spain to prevent future attacks by Haiti. Santana exiled Duarte to Venezuela, where he died in 1876.
In 1884, his remains were returned to the Dominican Republic where he was given a burial with full honors and entombed in a mausoleum along with other founding fathers of the Dominican Republic.
His birthday is celebrated each year with a special mass at the Santa Bárbara Church in Santo Domingo, the church where he was baptized.
His parental home has been a museum since 1967 and is a popular place to visit on his birthday.
