Business hours are generally Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 2 to 4.30 or 5pm, and sometimes from 9am to noon on Saturdays. Government offices work Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm, often with an hour's break for lunch. Government offices, post offices and many other businesses close on national holidays and the first Monday after an election.
All towns and villages have an annual fiesta patronale to commemorate the local saint. Some last only a day, some for a week or more, with a variety of events attracting people from far and wide. One of the largest is Carnaval in La Ceiba, more correctly known as La Feria de San Isidro. Held during the week leading up to the third Saturday in May, the festivities culminate in a street parade through the centre of the city, followed by performances of live music on sound stages until the early morning. The celebrations in San Pedro Sula in the last week of June, culminating on June 29 (a holiday in the city), and in Punta Gorda (Roatán), from April 6 to 12, celebrating the arrival of the Garífuna, are both worth making an effort to get to. The biggest festival of all, however, is that of the Virgen de Suyapa - patron saint of the country - in the first week of February, when pilgrims from around the country flock to Tegucigalpa to worship and celebrate.
Public holidays
Jan 1 New Year's Day
March/April Semana Santa: Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Easter Sunday
April 14 Day of the Americas
May 1 Labour Day
Sept 15 Independence Day
Oct 3 Birth of Francisco Morazán
Oct 12 Discovery of America
Oct 21 Armed Forces Day
Dec 25 Christmas Day
