Flags on holidays in Mexico: national days and rest days

In Mexico, public holidays and flag days do not fully coincide. The Federal Labour Law sets the statutory rest days, and since 2006 it has moved three of them to the Monday nearest the historical date. The Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem, on the other hand, sets the raising of the flag on the historical date itself. This guide relates the two calendars and describes the flag during the national celebrations.

The statutory rest days

Article 74 of the Federal Labour Law establishes as statutory rest days:

To these come 1 October every six years, when it coincides with the transfer of the federal executive power (under article 83 of the Constitution, the President takes office that day; the next time will be in 2030), and the day the federal and local electoral laws set for election day in ordinary elections.

The historical date and the Monday off

5 February recalls the promulgation of the Constitutions of 1857 and 1917, 21 March the birth of Benito Juárez and 20 November the start of the Mexican Revolution. The Federal Labour Law moves the rest day for these three dates to the Monday, but article 18 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem sets full mast on the historical date. So in 2026 the rest day for 20 November is Monday 16, and the flag flies at full mast with compulsory honours on Friday 20. The guide to flag days shows all the days with their day of the week.

The national celebrations

September is the month of the nation. On the night of 15 September, the Cry of Independence is commemorated: under article 35 of the law, the President of the Republic is required to wear the presidential sash at the commemoration of the Cry of Dolores. 16 September recalls the start of Independence in 1810 and is a statutory rest day. Under article 11, honours to the flag are compulsory at the authorities’ buildings on both days, and 27 September, the anniversary of the completion of Independence in 1821, is also a full-mast day.

In those weeks, the flag appears on balconies, windows, cars and shops. Article 32 allows anyone to display it at home, at work or on a vehicle, in any size, with due respect; article 32 Bis prevents its use to promote anyone’s image, goods or services. The guide to flag rules covers these limits.

Other civic days

Many flag days are not rest days: 24 February, Flag Day, 18 March, the anniversary of the Oil Expropriation, 5 May, the victory at Puebla in 1862, and 12 October, Día de la Raza. On these days the flag flies at full mast at the buildings in article 15 even though they are working days.

Christmas and New Year

1 January and 25 December are statutory rest days, but they are not in article 18. At the buildings and places in article 15, the flag stays raised every day of the year under article 16, including on these days.

State days

The federal states also celebrate their own days, such as the anniversary of their founding or of their joining the Federation; 14 September, when Chiapas joined the federal pact in 1824, is even in the federal law. In states with a flag of their own, such as Jalisco, the symbols law provides that the state flag is raised on the state’s solemn days, after the honours to the national flag. The guide to flag types presents them, and the guide to flag protocol explains the order of honours.