Public Holidays
Spain's
national feast days are the same every year, although national public
holidays may change according to whether the feast day falls on a Sunday or not. Also,
each Autonomous Community may also choose either Father's Day (March 19th) or Easter
Thursday as a public holiday, as well as celebrating one "Community Day", which
the Autonomous Community of Madrid celebrates on the 2nd of May.
Furthermore, each town or
city has its own feast days to commemorate its patron Saints. In the city of Madrid these
are 15th May (San Isidro) and 9th November (Almudena), although the holidays may be
changed if these dates fall on a Sunday. Note that Easter is a "movable" feast,
celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Spring equinox of
March 21st.
Therefore, Spanish public holidays for 2008 in the city of
Madrid are as follows. (Also, see Fiestas)
- January 1 -
New Year's Day (national
holiday)
- January 6 - Epiphany (national) (moved to Monday 7th January)
- March 20 - San José (moved from Sunday March 19th)
- Easter: Easter Thursday (Madrid and others) and Easter Friday (national)
- [for 2008, these Easter holidays are the
20th & 21st of March]
- May 1 - Labour Day (national)
- May 2 - Fiesta de la Communidad (Madrid community only)
- May 15 - San Isidro (Madrid capital only)
- July 25th (National - Santiago, Spain's Patron Saint)
- August 15 - Feast of the Assumption (national - in Madrid called
Virgin de la Paloma)
- October 12 - Spain's National Day (national - called Día de la
Hispanidad)
- November 1 - All Saints Day (national)
- November 9 - Almudena (Madrid capital only)
- December 6 - Constitution Day (national)
- December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception (national)
- December 25 -
Christmas Day (national)
You may download an official list of all public holidays in Spain in
Word or
PDF format.
On public holidays, all shops and banks are
closed. Taxis will add a small surcharge to the fare on these dates. If the public holiday
falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, you will find many Spaniards talking about "doing a
bridge" (haciendo puente). This involves taking the Monday or Friday off as
well in order to enjoy a 4-day long break.
Click here for a fuller list of fiestas, concerts, events and religious processions
Please use the
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