Your first Christmas in Portugal, 2026/27

• Official source read we read it on an official page
• Partly verified confirmed only in part, see the note
• Custom, not law a tradition, not a rule
• Not verified we could not confirm it

Planning help, not legal advice. The public-holiday list is article 234 of the Código do Trabalho. Customs are traditions, not law, and vary by family and region. Confirm with your employer, school or town hall.

Dates, 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027

1. Tue 1 Dec 2026

   Restoration of Independence (Restauração da Independência)

   By law Partly verified

   Public holiday: 1 December is on the mandatory list in article 234. It falls on a Tuesday in 2026.

   Source: Código do Trabalho

2. Tue 8 Dec 2026

   Immaculate Conception (Imaculada Conceição)

   By law Partly verified

   Public holiday: 8 December is on the mandatory list in article 234. It falls on a Tuesday in 2026.

   Source: Código do Trabalho

3. Thu 24 Dec 2026

   Consoada, Christmas Eve

   By law Partly verified

   Not a public holiday: 24 December is not on the list in article 234, so by law it is a working day.

   By custom Custom, not lawNot verified

   Consoada is the family dinner that evening, and Missa do Galo is the midnight Mass. Shops often close early; check the hours of the places you need. Some employers give time off; ask yours.

   Source: Código do Trabalho · Wikipédia · Wikipédia

4. Fri 25 Dec 2026

   Christmas Day (Natal)

   By law Partly verified

   Public holiday: 25 December is on the mandatory list in article 234. It falls on a Friday in 2026.

   Source: Código do Trabalho

5. Thu 31 Dec 2026

   New Year's Eve (Passagem de Ano)

   By law Partly verified

   Not a public holiday: 31 December is not on the list in article 234, so by law it is a working day.

   By custom Not verified

   Many people celebrate that night. Check shop hours and your transport operator before you plan to go out.

   Source: Código do Trabalho

6. Fri 1 Jan 2027

   New Year's Day (Ano Novo)

   By law Partly verified

   Public holiday: 1 January is on the mandatory list in article 234. It falls on a Friday in 2027.

   Source: Código do Trabalho

7. Wed 6 Jan 2027

   Dia de Reis, Epiphany

   By law Partly verified

   Not a public holiday in Portugal: 6 January is not on the list in article 234. It falls on a Wednesday in 2027.

   By custom Custom, not law

   The day marks the end of the bolo-rei season, and the janeiras singing runs from 1 to 6 January.

   Source: Código do Trabalho · Wikipédia

Traditions you will meet

These are customs, not rules. The sources are reference pages, not official ones, and practice differs between families.

• Bacalhau on Consoada

  Custom, not law

  Consoada is the Christmas Eve family meal. Bacalhau (salted cod) with potatoes and cabbage is described as the typical dish.

  Source: Wikipédia

• Bolo-rei and the fava

  Custom, not law

  Bolo-rei is a round cake with a hole in the middle, topped with crystallised and dried fruit and eaten from early December until Epiphany. A dried fava bean is baked in, and by tradition whoever finds it pays for the cake next year.

  Source: Wikipedia

• Missa do Galo

  Custom, not law

  Missa do Galo is the Catholic Christmas Eve Mass, traditionally starting at midnight between 24 and 25 December. Times differ by parish, so check with yours.

  Source: Wikipédia

• Janeiras

  Custom, not law

  Groups go from door to door singing, announcing the birth of Jesus and wishing a happy new year. They sing from 1 to 6 January, and some groups, mostly in cities, carry on through January.

  Source: Wikipédia

What to check before you go

• 25 December and 1 January are public holidays, so expect offices and schools to be closed and many shops to have different hours. Check the places you need.

• 24 and 31 December are working days by law, but shops often have shorter hours. We found no official rule, so check each shop.

• Trains and metro: timetables on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January can differ from a normal day. Check your operator before you travel.

• Parcels and post: we found no CTT page with Christmas posting dates, so none are listed here. Ask your carrier for its last posting day.

• In an emergency call 112.

  Emergency numbers in 25 countries

Operators: https://www.cp.pt/pt · https://www.metrolisboa.pt/ · https://www.metrodoporto.pt/

Related pages

• Closed at Christmas and New Year: holidays 24 Dec to 6 Jan in 8 countries
• comealone.appChristmas markets 2026 on comealone.app
• firstphrases.appChristmas phrases in Portuguese on firstphrases.app

Questions

Sources and what each one confirms

• diariodarepublica.ptCódigo do Trabalho, article 234, list of mandatory holidays (official Diário da República page; the text was read in a copy of the Code, see the next line)
• pgdlisboa.ptReadable copy of the Código do Trabalho (not an official site), used to read article 234
• pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConsoadaConsoada and the bacalhau dish (Portuguese Wikipedia, reference, not official)
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_reiBolo-rei and the fava (English Wikipedia, reference, not official)
• pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_do_GaloMissa do Galo (Portuguese Wikipedia, reference, not official)
• pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/JaneirasJaneiras (Portuguese Wikipedia, reference, not official)
• cp.ptCP, trains: check timetables for your day
• metrolisboa.ptMetro de Lisboa: check timetables for your day
• metrodoporto.ptMetro do Porto: check timetables for your day

Last checked: 2026-10-25.