New Year’s Day (Universal Fellowship Day): when it is in 2026 and 2027
The Brazilian calendar year begins on January 1, one of the five dates that Law 662, of 1949, declared a national holiday. The ordinance from the Ministry of Management calls it Universal Fraternization Day.
When is New Year’s Day
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2026
- 1JanNew Year’s DayThursday · Friday bridge dayNational holiday
2027
- 1JanNew Year’s DayFriday · long weekendNational holiday
In 2026, New Year’s Day falls on a Thursday, January 1: with the Friday as a bridge day, the break stretches to four days, from Thursday to Sunday, January 1–4. In 2027, New Year’s Day falls on a Friday, January 1: the holiday runs straight into the weekend for three days off in a row, from Friday to Sunday, January 1–3, without taking any time off, unlike 2026, when you could only reach four days by bridging the Friday.
How the date is set
The date opens the civil calendar and is part of the original list in Law 662, of 1949, alongside May 1, September 7, November 15 and December 25. The list gained April 21 and November 2 through Law 10,607, of 2002. MGI (Ministry of Management and Innovation) Ordinance No. 11,460, of December 29, 2025, set a federal optional day off on December 31, 2026, the eve of New Year’s Day 2027, after 13:00.
What the law says
The basis is article 1 of Law 662, of April 6, 1949, which declared the following national holidays: January 1, May 1, September 7, November 15 and December 25. The current wording of the article comes from Law 10,607, of December 19, 2002, which added April 21 and November 2 to the list.
What about people who work on the holiday?
Law 605, of 1949, prohibits work on civil and religious holidays, except where the company’s technical requirements make the work necessary, and guarantees the employee pay for the day (art. 8). When work cannot be suspended, article 9 requires the day to be paid double, unless the employer grants another day off. In retail in general, Law 10,101, of 2000 (art. 6-A), allows work on holidays as long as a collective bargaining agreement authorizes it and municipal legislation is observed. The specific rule depends on the worker’s category, and the collective agreement is the first place to check.
Keep in mind, too, that a long weekend and a bridge day assume a Monday-to-Friday workweek. People who work shifts, such as in retail and health care, may not get this time off, and the federal optional day off does not apply to the private sector.
What about holidays in my state and my city?
This page lists only the holidays national. State and municipal holidays vary by location: Law 9.093/1995 lets each state set its principal date, and lets each municipality declare the start and end days of its founding centennial year and up to four religious holidays, including Good Friday. To find out yours, check with your city hall or state government.
Sources
- Law 662/1949 (Planalto)
- Law 10.607/2002 (Planalto)
- Law 6.802/1980 (Planalto)
- Law 9.093/1995 (Planalto)
- Law 14.759/2023 (Planalto)
- MGI Ordinance 11.460/2025 (Federal Official Gazette)
- Law 605/1949, rest days and holidays (Planalto)
- Law 10.101/2000, art. 6-A (Planalto)
- BrasilAPI, date cross-check
Dates calculated by RaisLife (Easter using the Meeus/Jones/Butcher algorithm) and checked against BrasilAPI for the years generated (2024 to 2030); the classification of each date follows federal law and the ordinances of the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services. For information only: it does not replace consulting the law, your professional category’s collective bargaining agreement, or your state and city calendar.