President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, signed the Law that now declares December 1st as a National Holiday in commemoration of the Abolition of the Army in the country.

This modifies Article 148 of the Labor Code, making December 1st an unpaid legal holiday, replacing October 12th (Columbus Day or Cultures’ Day).

October 12 would only remain as an unpaid holiday for the central county of Limon, “since this county has a tradition of celebrating this day in a special way”.

Alvarado, considers that this new holiday sends a message of peace and dialogue for conflict resolution to the rest of the nations.

It was back on December 1, 1948 when Jose Figueres Ferrer, then president of the “Founding Governing Board of the Second Republic” made the announcement in front of a group of leaders gathered in the Bellavista Quarters; however, it was the Defense Minister Edgar Cardona who proposed the idea of spending more in education and health instead of weapons and an army, according to former Interior minister Alvaro Ramos.

On October 31, 1949, the National Constituent Assembly incorporated the abolition of the army into Article 12 of the Political Constitution.

By a decree of December 24, 1986, December 1st was declared “Day of the Abolition of the Army”.