Colombian Public Holidays: Explaining “Puentes” to Your Boss

When My First “Puente” Caught Me Off Guard

I was still that bright-eyed, freshly relocated gringo who believed every nation’s calendar obeyed one universal rule: weekends are sacred, weekdays are work, and public holidays show up like well-behaved mile markers. Then, during my second quick hop from Santo Domingo to Medellín, my Colombian friend Paola cheerfully announced, “El lunes es festivo, ¡nos vamos de puente !”
Monday is a public holiday, we’re going on a long weekend!
I nodded, pretended to understand, and texted my Dominican boss, “Creo que el lunes… bueno… no hay oficina aquí.”
I think Monday… well… there’s no office here.
His response—“¿Tú seguro, James?”—made me realize I had to up my Spanish Vocabulary game fast or risk sounding like a kid forging absence notes. That slightly comic scramble became the seed for today’s post: giving you the phrases, cultural angles, and confidence to talk about Colombian puentes like a seasoned expat, not a deer caught in papayera headlights.

What Exactly Is a “Puente” and Why Does Colombia Love Them?

In Colombia, a puente literally means “bridge.” In everyday speech it refers to a long weekend created when a public holiday falls on a Monday—or is legally moved to Monday—so you can “bridge” the gap between the weekend and the holiday. Colombians will often ask, “¿El festivo cae lunes o lo trasladan?”
Does the holiday fall on Monday or do they move it?
The context matters because the nation has the Ley Emiliani, a law from 1983 that relocates many religious or civic holidays to Monday to encourage internal tourism. Meanwhile in the Dominican Republic, holidays might stay put—unless they fall midweek, in which case the government sometimes slides them to Monday or Friday. The overlap keeps Caribbean offices guessing and gives us, the roaming expat crowd, extra chances to practice our Spanish Vocabulary about time off.

Whenever I ask a Colombian colleague why puentes feel almost sacred, I hear variations of “Es que nos encanta rumbear y viajar.”
We just love to party and travel.
Those extra twenty-four hours become oxygen for road trips to coffee fincas, beach towns, or grandma’s house in Boyacá. Understanding that emotional pull helps you negotiate days off with empathy: you’re not only juggling schedules; you’re tapping into a cultural rhythm where work exists to bankroll living, not the other way around.

Spanish example in context

“Vamos a aprovechar el puente para visitar Salento.”
We’re going to make the most of the long weekend to visit Salento.
Notice how aprovechar pairs with para. Swapping the preposition would sound off, the same way saying “I will take advantage for” grates on English ears.

Negotiating Time Off in Spanish Without Sounding Like a Tourist

Your boss—maybe Dominican, maybe Colombian, maybe an international hybrid like mine—will appreciate more than mangled Spanglish. Begin with clarity. If you need Monday because it’s festivo, state the legal fact, then show how you’ll handle backlog. In the DR, I might say:
“Jefe, el lunes es feriado en Colombia por la Inmaculada. Voy a estar fuera, pero dejo programados los reportes.”
Boss, Monday is a holiday in Colombia for the Immaculate Conception. I’ll be away, but I’m scheduling the reports.
In Colombia, addressing a supervisor often flips to the more formal usted:
“Licenciada, ¿sería posible trabajar remoto durante el puente? Ya dejé adelantadas las presentaciones.”
Ma’am, would it be possible to work remotely during the long weekend? I’ve already advanced the presentations.
Embedding that courtesy shows you grasp not only Spanish Vocabulary but workplace etiquette sprinkled with Caribbean and Andean seasoning.

Dominicans, renowned for verbal warmth, may still call you mi hermano even in an office setting, but don’t confuse the friendly tone for lax deadlines. Colombians lean toward structured politeness; they might drop an entire sentence of greetings before the core request. I’ve seen newbies lose credibility by skipping the formalities altogether, so err on the side of more words, not fewer, when in doubt.

Spanish example in context

“Entonces, ¿le parece si compenso las horas el miércoles siguiente?”
So, would it work for you if I make up the hours the following Wednesday?
Using compensar (to make up) scores big in both countries because it signals accountability rather than entitlement.

Essential Spanish Vocabulary for Holiday Talk

Before swallowing the full buffet of idioms, savor these core morsels. Each one has tripped me up at airports, border checkpoints, and group chats until I mastered its flavor. Keep revisiting the table whenever your calendar sends a surprise aviso.

Notice how living vocabulary like this, rather than textbook relics, deepens your Spanish Vocabulary through context. You won’t merely recite words; you’ll juggle them in real pay-check conversations.

Example Conversation: Asking for a Puente Day

Context: You work remotely for a Dominican company but happen to be stationed in Bogotá. A Colombian holiday is coming up, and you need Monday off. You’re texting your Dominican boss, then confirming plans with a Colombian colleague.

James: “Buenas tardes, jefe. El próximo lunes es festivo en Colombia y mi edificio cerrará.”
Good afternoon, boss. Next Monday is a public holiday in Colombia and my building will be closed.
Jefe (DR): “¿Tú estás seguro? No lo tengo en el calendario.”
Are you sure? I don’t have it on the calendar.
James: “Sí, es el Día de los Reyes trasladado al lunes, según la Ley Emiliani.”
Yes, it’s Three Kings Day moved to Monday, according to the Emiliani Law.
Jefe: “Bueno, mi hermano, si de verdad no puedes entrar, compensa las horas el viernes.”
Alright, my brother, if you truly can’t log in, make up the hours on Friday. (DR colloquial: **mi hermano**)
James: “Perfecto, las compenso y envío el reporte antes del cierre.”
Perfect, I’ll make them up and send the report before close of business.

James to Paola (Colombia): “Oye, ¿qué planes para el puente? ¿Vamos al Eje Cafetero?”
Hey, what plans for the long weekend? Shall we go to the Coffee Axis?
Paola: “¡De una! Pero salimos el viernes en la noche para evitar trancones.”
Absolutely! But let’s leave Friday night to avoid traffic jams. (Colombian slang: **de una**)
James: “Listo, ¡armo la playlist y compro buñuelos para el camino!”
Done, I’ll make the playlist and buy cheese fritters for the road!

Cultural Nuances Between DR and Colombia That Color Your Words

Ten years skipping between Santo Domingo’s merengue pulse and Colombia’s vallenato beat have taught me that pronunciation is only half the battle; attitude is the other fifty percent. In the DR, time can feel elastic. Telling your supervisor, “Voy a resolver eso ahora-mismo”
I’m going to fix that right now
often wins points because resolver conveys hustle. But in Colombia, managers adore specifics—you might earn more respect promising, “Lo entrego antes de las cuatro.”
I’ll deliver it before four.
Subtle, yes, yet mastering these micro-tunes polishes your Spanish Vocabulary into culturally resonant music.

Humor travels, but customs stamps matter. Dominicans love affectionate nicknames in the workplace, from mi vida to gordo (no offense intended). Colombians reserve pet names for closer circles; using gordi with your Bogotá boss could torpedo your credibility faster than a mis-timed reggaetón beat drop. Instead, lean on polite filler phrases like “con gusto”
with pleasure
or “quedo atento”
I remain attentive.
They sprinkle your email threads with the right dose of formality.

Spanish example in context

“Quedo atento a cualquier comentario y, nuevamente, mil gracias por autorizar el puente.”
I remain attentive to any comments and, again, many thanks for authorizing the long weekend.
That line, dripping with Colombian courtesy, might sound flowery in the DR—but it impresses in Bogotá, Cali, or Bucaramanga.

Final Thoughts: Let Two Islands of Insight Meet on the Bridge

Using Colombian puentes as a springboard for richer communication can feel like running wind sprints for your ears and tongue. You’ll juggle Dominican spontaneity, Colombian structure, and your own Anglophone wiring—all while cramming deliverables into a shortened week. Yet every time you succeed, your Spanish Vocabulary bulks up more naturally than any flash-card session.
Next time a holiday sneaks onto your calendar, treat it as both a mini-vacation and an audition. Can you swap effortlessly between festivo and feriado? Will you remember to say **de una** in Medellín but **un chin** in Santo Domingo? Those agile pivots are the secret reps that sculpt fluency.
I’d love to hear how bouncing between countries chisels your own phrases. Drop a comment below with the cross-border terms you’ve adopted or the puentes you plan to exploit. The more we swap tales, the sturdier the linguistic bridge we build together.

Nos leemos en el próximo puente—¡y que nunca falte café ni coco !

Meta: Learn how to explain Colombian “puentes,” negotiate days off, and grow Spa