Our Lady of Suyapa2026 · Date · History
Vatican sources verify the February 3 feast and patronal role in Honduras; Honduran Legislative Decree No. 188-2012 declares February 3 a national festive day in her honor. The later civil recognition is kept distinct from the older devotion.
About Our Lady of Suyapa
Our Lady of Suyapa is a Marian devotion closely associated with Honduras, where February 3 is celebrated as her feast day and she is honored as patroness of the country.
Honduran Legislative Decree No. 188-2012 declares February 3 a national festive day in honor of the Virgin of Suyapa. That civil recognition should be distinguished from the much older Catholic devotion and feast.
Why Our Lady of Suyapa matters
For Catholics and many Honduran communities, the day is a religious and cultural celebration centered on devotion to Mary under the title Our Lady of Suyapa.
Respectful coverage should describe the beliefs and practices in their own religious context without presenting devotional claims as independently proven historical facts or assuming that every Honduran observes the day in the same way.
History of Our Lady of Suyapa
Vatican material identifies Our Lady of Suyapa as patroness of Honduras and refers to her February 3 festivity.
Current Vatican News coverage of the 2026 celebration describes Honduras marking the February 3 feast and the 279th anniversary associated with the finding of the image, reflecting the established devotional tradition.
Decree No. 188-2012 later gave February 3 a civil national-festive-day designation in her honor. The reviewed legal source does not by itself establish a universal paid-leave or all-business-closure rule.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Declared February 3 a national festive day in honor of the Virgin of Suyapa.
National Congress of Honduras · Legislative Decree No. 188-2012
Catholic Church in Honduras and Honduran Catholic communities
Vatican and Catholic shrine material document continuing liturgical and pilgrimage observance connected with Our Lady of Suyapa.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
7 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
How to Observe Our Lady of Suyapa
Catholics may attend Mass, prayer services, pilgrimages or parish activities connected with the feast.
Learn about the devotion through Honduran church, Vatican or cultural sources and distinguish devotional tradition from claims that require separate historical documentation.
If visiting a church or pilgrimage, follow local rules, dress and photography expectations and avoid disrupting worship.
For work, school or government-office schedules in Honduras, check the current year’s official instructions rather than assuming the festive-day declaration creates identical leave arrangements everywhere.
Our Lady of Suyapa Facts
The feast of Our Lady of Suyapa is observed on February 3.
Vatican sources identify Our Lady of Suyapa as patroness of Honduras.
Honduran Decree No. 188-2012 declares February 3 a national festive day in her honor.
The civil 2012 decree is later than the religious devotion and should not be treated as the origin of the feast.
The reviewed decree does not establish a universal rule that every workplace or business must close.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Faith Context Respect.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
Honduras TSC legal library — Decree No. 188-2012 (opens in a new tab)
National Legal Source
Vatican News — 2026 Suyapa celebration (opens in a new tab)
Vatican News
Vatican — John Paul II address to Honduran bishops (opens in a new tab)
Holy See
Basilica of the National Shrine — Our Lady of Suyapa Pilgrimage (opens in a new tab)
Catholic National Shrine
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is Our Lady of Suyapa?
3 February The documented recurrence rule is: 3 February.
Does Our Lady of Suyapa fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is Our Lady of Suyapa an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Catholic / Honduran patronal Marian feast with later civil national-festive-day recognition. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Our Lady of Suyapa?
The documented basis is: Vatican sources verify the February 3 feast and patronal role in Honduras; Honduran Legislative Decree No. 188-2012 declares February 3 a national festive day in her honor. The later civil recognition is kept distinct from the older devotion.. Supporting evidence includes Vatican — John Paul II address to Honduran bishops. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is Our Lady of Suyapa international or country-specific?
No single country is assigned to this observance. Its documented scope is: Catholic / Honduran patronal Marian feast with later civil national-festive-day recognition. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-10-04.
When is the feast of Our Lady of Suyapa?
It is celebrated on February 3.
Why is Our Lady of Suyapa important in Honduras?
Vatican sources identify her as patroness of Honduras, and the devotion is a major part of Honduran Catholic religious life.
Is February 3 legally recognized in Honduras?
Yes. Legislative Decree No. 188-2012 declares February 3 a national festive day in honor of the Virgin of Suyapa.
Does that decree mean every business closes?
The reviewed decree establishes the national festive-day designation, but this guide does not infer a universal paid-leave or business-closure rule. Check current official instructions for practical schedules.
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