Maduro decrees Xmas season starts Oct. 1

Tuesday, September 9th 2025 - 09:45 UTC

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Maduro had already moved the holiday forward to October 1 in 2024

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro once again decreed that Christmas celebrations in his country would begin on October 1, he announced on Monday during his TV show. He argued that the early start to the holiday season is meant to “defend happiness” and has been successful for the economy and culture in previous years.

“There are only 11 weeks left until December. This year has flown by, and it has been a good year, a beautiful year, a year of progress in all areas of life,” Maduro said.

“As our people are constantly looking after their happiness and economic, commercial, and cultural activity, which brings them together and strengthens them, we are going to apply the same formula as in other years, which has worked very well for the economy, for culture, for happiness, and we are going to decree that from October 1, Christmas will start again in Venezuela. This year too,” he added.

“With joy, commerce, activity, culture, carols, bagpipes... It is the way to defend happiness, the right to happiness, the right to joy,” the Chavista leader further argued. “No one and nothing in this world will take away our right to happiness and our right to joy.”

Maduro's decision came amid a political, economic, and social crisis in Venezuela, probably as a public relations strategy to “distract national attention” from the ongoing problems, particularly the presence of a US naval force nearby.

Washington has deployed military forces in the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking, which it claims is led by Maduro.

In response, the Bolivarian regime has mobilized 25,000 troops to “defend national sovereignty,” as US President Donald Trump warned that any Venezuelan aircraft posing a threat to its fleet would be shot down.

Maduro had already moved the holiday forward to October 1 in 2024.