If at other times of the year the common sense rule can ask for some restraint, at the beginning of the new year to have consideration is to have no brakes for dreams. It's time to draw up projects, set new goals and design plans with all the exuberance. It is never possible to start from scratch, but it is always possible, and highly advisable, to start again. The higher you dream, the higher you know you can be. And that is the basic principle for achieving your 2020 goals. The other principle is to keep in mind how many days you will have to rest. That is why LUXIMOS Christie's International Real Estate has decided to give you a hand by bringing the calendar forward. To plan your holidays, getaways or the best time to move into your new home, if that's the case.
The new year is a leap year. It means you have one extra day, 366. In addition, in Portugal the year 2020 includes 13 national holidays, three bridges and the possibility of six long weekends. Three of these holidays, however, coincide with the weekend. Shall we count them?
The first holiday is already this Wednesday, January 1st. If you can add two days off, for Thursday and Friday, you get five days off by spending only two.
The second holiday is on April 10, when Good Friday is celebrated. Two days later, on April 12, we have the third holiday, this time to celebrate Easter. In this case, it always falls on a Sunday. But nobody takes away your long weekend anymore. And it's only the first.
The fourth holiday is the date of the exaltation of freedom and the end of the dictatorship in Portugal. This year, however, the 25th of April, which celebrates the carnation revolution, will take place on a Saturday. So April comes with three holidays, but two do not count, because they happen on the weekend.
A different scenario is that of the fifth holiday, where Labour Day is celebrated. This year, May 1st falls on a Friday. It means that in the fifth month of the year, which is usually when the sun comes up, you can have your second long weekend.
The sixth holiday is the patriotic 10th of June. The Day of Portugal, Camões and the Communities takes place on a Wednesday. As on the following day, June 11, Corpus Christi is celebrated, which is the seventh holiday, here is another week in which you can plan your mini holidays. By spending three days of work (Monday, Tuesday and Friday), you can benefit from seven days of rest.
The eighth holiday comes with the Assumption of Our Lady. It's August 15th, a holiday month par excellence in Portugal, but it falls on a Saturday.
The ninth holiday marks the Establishment of the Republic. It is celebrated on October 5, which will be a Monday. That is, it is the third long weekend of the year.
The tenth holiday, a month later, on November 1st, marks All Saints’ Day, a day to honour those who are no longer here. But it’s a Sunday.
December has two holidays separated by eight days. The 11th holiday is on December 1 and marks the Restoration of Independence. The 12th holiday, on December 8, marks the Day of the Immaculate Conception. They both fall on a Tuesday, so if you save two days of holiday for the two Mondays of these two weeks, you can plan two more long weekends in two consecutive weeks.
The 13th and last holiday of the year is December 25th, Christmas Day, and it will be a Friday, an excellent opportunity to end the year in beauty with the sixth long weekend.
If 2020 is the year you have decided to move house or make a real estate investment in the North of Portugal, Porto or in the Algarve, contact us so that we can make your new year a luxury one.
