Venezuelans Begin October Without Maduro’s Christmas Rescheduling

For the first time in years, Venezuelans kicked off October this Thursday without the obligatory rescheduling of the Christmas season—a practice that former socialist leader Nicolás Maduro enforced during his time in power.

Maduro stepped into the role of leader of the Venezuelan socialist regime in early 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, who had designated him as his successor during his last public appearance on December 8, 2012—a date that has since taken on almost religious significance for the regime. Recently, both Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were arrested by U.S. authorities in Caracas on January 3, and they are currently awaiting trial for multiple drug trafficking charges at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Venezuela is predominantly Catholic and, like many other Christian nations, typically celebrates Christmas during the four-week Advent period leading up to December 25. However, throughout nearly 13 years of Maduro’s rule, he often altered the start of the Christmas season whenever it suited him, ignoring traditional practices and drawing criticism from the Venezuelan Catholic Church, which has faced numerous attacks from the ruling party over the decades.

Maduro’s manipulation of the Christmas season dates back to his initial year in power, 2013, and he followed this trend almost every year until the early 2020s. Under his directives, state-run institutions and public spaces were required to set up Christmas decorations as early as September, as part of his orchestrated “Christmas season.”

Last year, Maduro announced that the 2025 Christmas season would commence on October 1—well ahead of Advent—just months before his arrest. To celebrate the initiation of this “Christmas season,” the regime staged a fireworks display from the Helicoide in Caracas, an infamous structure transformed into a torture center. In a puzzling statement during December 2025, Maduro even claimed that the year 2026 had already begun in Venezuela, which seemed to reflect the chaos of his administration’s final days.

Currently, under the leadership of “acting President” Delcy Rodríguez, there has been no indication that the regime plans to make changes to the Christmas calendar for 2026.

Rodríguez recently mentioned at an official event that “for the first time in many years,” all of the pernil (roast pork shoulder) served during this year’s Christmas season would be domestically produced. Pernil is a staple in Venezuelan Christmas meals, alongside hallacas (a type of tamale), pan de jamon (ham bread), and chicken salad. During the hardship of Maduro’s regime, pernil had become quite scarce, a point that exacerbated the complex struggles stemming from the crumbling socialist economy. Back in 2017, Maduro absurdly blamed foreign sabotage for the country’s pernil shortages, without presenting any evidence for his claims.

Additionally, in an abrupt decision, Maduro had advanced the 2024 Christmas start date to October 2024, shortly after he claimed victory in a controversial presidential election and unleashed a violent crackdown on dissent that led to numerous detainments. At the time, he insisted that the early Christmas celebration was a gesture of gratitude for his so-called electoral win. Over the years, Maduro had frequently altered the Christmas calendar during various years, forcing the season to begin in either October or November as he deemed appropriate.

The Venezuelan regime has long maintained a hostile stance toward the country’s Catholic Church, especially the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela. Maduro and his allies have often criticized priests, going so far as to label them “devils in cassocks.” Notably, in 2014, just after Maduro took power and while mourning Chavez, the ruling party even altered the Lord’s Prayer to venerate Chavez.