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Travel Related
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OPENING HOURS, FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAY |
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Business hours vary from establishment to establishment, but
generally banks are open from 8 or 8.30am to 3 or 4pm, Monday to Friday,
while some also open on Saturday morning. Businesses and government
offices are usually open Monday to Saturday from 8 or 9am to 4 or 5pm,
while museums generally open the same hours from Tuesday to Saturday,
with some also opening on Sunday morning. Some or all of these close for
lunch from around 12.30pm or 1pm to 1.30 or 2pm. Shops are usually open
from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm.
Panamá has ten national public holidays , during which pretty much all
government offices, businesses and shops close. Panamá City and Colón
also each have their own public holiday, and there is one public holiday
for government employees only. When the public holidays fall near a
weekend many Panamanians take a long weekend (known as a puente ) and
head to the beach or the countryside, so it can be difficult to find
hotel rooms.
Several of these public holidays coincide with national fiestas that
continue for several days. Carnaval , in February or March, is the
largest and wildest of these, celebrated with parades, drinking, water-fighting
and dancing in Panamá City and across the country, most colourfully in
Las Tablas. Holy Week (Easter) is celebrated with religious processions.
In November, known as "El Mes de la Patria" , the anniversaries of the
first declaration of independence and of both independence days (from
Spain and Colombia) are celebrated by a succession of drum-band parades.
In addition, local fiestas are held by every small town to celebrate its
own anniversary and saint's day. The most vibrant of these are the
Fiesta of the Black Christ of Portobelo on October 21, when up to 50,000
purple-clad pilgrims descend on that town, and the numerous religious
and folkloric fiestas of the towns of villages of the Azuero Peninsula .
In Kuna Yala , the Kuna celebrate their own independence day (the
anniversary of the short-lived Dule Republic) in February, as well as
several other dates throughout the year.
Public holidays
Jan 1 New Year's Day Jan 9 Martyr's Day (in remembrance of those killed
by US troops in the 1964 riots) Feb-March (date varies) Carnaval
March-April (date varies) Good Friday May...
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