Spanish Holidays

National feast days in Spain are at the same time every year, but the national public holidays may change depending on that if it falls on Sunday or not. Each city has its own feast days on witch they commemorate its patrons Saints. For Madrid it is 15th May when they commemorate San Isidro and 9th November for Almudena.

The holidays can be changed if these dates fall on Sunday. You must know that Easter is a “movable” holiday. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Spring equinox of March 21st.

Shops and banks are closed on public holidays. You must know that on these dates taxis will add a small surcharge to the fare. Many Spaniards like to do “hacienda Puente”, that means “to do a bridge”. This can be done if the public holidays fall on Tuesday or Thursday. This is about taking the Monday or Friday off so they can enjoy a four-day long break.

See also: Events and Festivals, celebrated in different Spanish regions

New Year’s Day

The Spanish New Year is quite the same as the New Year in all the countries that use the Gregorian calendar. In Spanish New Year is “Año Nuevo”. The celebrations in Spain are the usual for a New Year’s party: Food, Drinks and Fireworks. Another ordinary for the New Year’s Party in Spain is when the people gather together and countdown until midnight. When the time comes Fireworks are fired and everybody drink Champagne and great each other.

Father’s Day

Father’s Day in Spain is celebrated on 19th of March. In Spanish Father’s Day is “San Hosé It is a secular holiday related to Mother’s Day. It was inaugurated in the early 20th century to complement Mother’s Day to celebrate fatherhood. Typicaly, Father’s day involves gift-giving to fathers.

Epiphany

In Spanish Epiphany is Día de Reyes Epifanía. In English it is The Day of The Kings. This Holiday is also celebrated in Mexico, Cuba and some Latin American Countries. Epiphany is the day when the Three Magi of the Bible or the Three Kings. The story is that they arrived to worship and bring gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. The tradition in Spain is that on the 6th of January, the Kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, which represent Europe, Arabia and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and Elephant, bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

Holy Thursday

The Holly Thursday in Spanish is Jueves Santo. It is also called Maundy Thursday and it is the feast or holy day on the Thursday before Easter. The usual name among the Roman Catholics is Holy Thursday. It commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. The date is depending of the Easter so it is a movable holiday.

Good Friday

In Spanish Good Friday is Viernes Santo. It is a holy day celebrated by most Christians on the Friday before Easter. This day commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary. Usually services are held on this day by a special prayer. He reads from the Gospel about the events leading up to the crucifixion. In some Roman Catholic countries, such as Malta, Italy and Spain, there are processions with statues representing the Passion of Christ. Good Friday Is a moveable holiday.

Easter Sunday

Easter, in Spanish Dia de Pascua is also known as Pascha. The Resurrection Day is one of the most important feasts for the Christian liturgical year. This holiday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. His followers believe that this occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 27-33. In the Roman Catholic Church, Easter is an eight-day feast which is called the Octave of Easter. Like the Holy Thursday and Good Friday, Easter Sunday is also a moveable holiday.

Labour Day

Labour Day in Spain is known as “Dia del Trabajador”. It is an annual holiday which is celebrated all over the world. It celebrates the economic and social achievements of workers. It comes from the eight hour day movement. The philosophy of this movement is: eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest.

St. John’s

St. John’s in Spanish is known as San Juan. It is celebrated on the evening of June 23 with the lighting of bonfires. It is believed that three jumps cleanses from sin and disease. People also jump over the bonfires to prove their courage. Ciutadella is one of the centers of the festival. Many cities have their own traditions associated with the festival. Bonfires, fireworks, music, dancing, sardines and bread are part of the San Juan’s night.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a Latin name for Body of Christ. It is a Christian feast which is celebrated mostly by the Roman Catholic Church in the name of the Holy Eucharist. It was assigned to the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The institution of the Eucharis is celebrated on Holy Thursday that means that the joy of “the Holy Gift” cannot be well expressed on this day. This is because the Good Friday is very near. This is the reason for celebrating Corpus Christi at different time and that also explains why it is a movable feast.

St. Peter’s Day

In Spanish Saint Peter is San Pedro and is also known as Simon ben Jonah or Simon Peter. He was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus from among his original disciples. He was called by Jesus to be a disciple among with his brother Andrew. Ancient Christian Churches, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, consider him as a saint. Also Simon Peter was also considered as the first Bishop of Rome.

29 June is assigned as feast day of Peter by the Roman Martyrology. According to a tradition he was crucified head down. His burial place is also located from the tradition. It is the same place where the Basilica of Saint Peter was built.