Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, announced this Thursday that Christmas will begin in her country on November 1. She said the aim is to stimulate the economy and lift people's spirits.
El Mostrador reported the announcement, quoting Rodríguez's remarks at the opening of the 82nd annual assembly of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers and Associations of Commerce and Production (Fedecámaras), Venezuela's main business association. The event was broadcast by state television channel VTV, according to Cooperativa.
"I announce that Christmas starts on November 1, because I know that Christmas also stimulates a lot of economic activity, but above all it brings happiness to Venezuelan men and women," the president said.
Rodríguez was Nicolás Maduro's vice president and took over as acting president almost 10 months ago. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on January 3 by United States troops following several attacks in Caracas and other nearby areas. That outcome followed a United States military deployment in the Caribbean Sea.
The measure has a direct precedent. Since coming to power in 2013, Maduro moved Christmas forward several times, generally during crises. In 2024, he declared that "it is September and it already smells like Christmas". In 2025, amid tensions with Washington over the naval deployment, he moved the start of the holidays to October 1.
Rodríguez's announcement coincided with a new legal case against her predecessor. That same Thursday, United States judicial authorities charged Maduro and Flores with conspiracy to commit torture. According to prosecutors, both used a strategy of "repression and torture" to remain in power.
The indictment describes alleged torture of opposition members, military personnel and other detainees, including three United States citizens. The charge adds to those of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and possession of destructive weapons, which both face in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The sources do not detail what specific economic measures will accompany the earlier start, such as bonuses or advance payments. Nor do they specify how Venezuela's economy has developed under the new administration.
For Chile, the issue is of particular interest because of the large Venezuelan community living in the country. Many of those families maintain ties with Venezuela and send money there. The early celebrations will begin there on November 1, while legal proceedings against Maduro and Flores continue in New York.
