Overview
- Law No. 14.759/2023 established November 20 as a nationwide holiday, with national observance in place since 2024.
- The Salvador city government declared a ponto facultativo for Friday, November 21, giving municipal servants a four-day break as published in the city’s Diário Oficial.
- Tocantins’ acting governor decreed a ponto facultativo for November 21, suspending most state executive services from Thursday and resuming on Monday, November 24, while essential services continue.
- Feira de Santana councilor Edvaldo Lima criticized the national holiday as “racist and prejudiced” during a council session, drawing immediate reactions from colleagues and on social media.
- The date recognizes Afro-Brazilian history and the legacy of Zumbi dos Palmares, and it had already been a local holiday in several states and about 1,200 municipalities before the federal law.