Spain’s national public holidays include Año Nuevo (1 January), Reyes (6 January), Good Friday, 1 May, 15 August, the Fiesta Nacional (12 October), 1 November, 6 and 8 December and Christmas Day. Many of its best-known festivals, such as las Fallas, San Fermín and la Tomatina, are regional or local, not national.
National, regional or local?
Before the calendar, one key point your pupils (and textbooks) often miss: in Spain, public holidays work on three levels.
- National holidays. A short list of days are holidays across the whole country, such as 1 January, Good Friday or 12 October.
- Regional holidays. Each of the 17 autonomous communities sets some of its own days, such as its regional day (Día de Andalucía, la Diada in Catalonia) or certain religious feasts. When a national holiday falls on a Sunday, each region can also move it to the Monday.
- Local holidays. Each town adds two local holidays, usually for its patron saint or its main fiesta. By law, the total cannot exceed fourteen days a year, two of them local.
So a festival that closes every shop in Valencia can be an ordinary working day in Madrid. Note that fiesta means both “party” and “public holiday”; a holiday is also un día festivo (in Latin America, un feriado). When a holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, many people take the day in between off: hacer puente, “to make a bridge”.
The festival calendar, month by month
National means a holiday everywhere in Spain; regional, in one or more regions; local, in one town; tradition, celebrated but not a day off.
| Date | Festival | Status | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Año Nuevo | national | New Year’s Day, after the grapes of Nochevieja |
| 5 January (evening) | Cabalgata de Reyes | tradition | parades of the Three Kings, who throw sweets to the crowd |
| 6 January | Día de Reyes (Epifanía) | national | children open their presents from the Reyes Magos; roscón de Reyes |
| February or March | Carnaval | local | Tuesday before Ash Wednesday; famous in Cádiz and the Canary Islands |
| 28 February | Día de Andalucía | regional | Andalusia’s day |
| 15–19 March | Las Fallas | local (Valencia) | giant figures burnt on the night of 19 March, la cremà |
| 19 March | San José, Día del Padre | tradition; holiday in some regions some years | Father’s Day in Spain |
| March or April | Semana Santa | Good Friday national; Maundy Thursday in most regions; Easter Monday in some | processions in Seville, Málaga, Valladolid and many towns |
| April or May | Feria de Abril | local (Seville) | usually two weeks after Easter: casetas, flamenco dresses, sevillanas |
| 23 April | San Jorge, Sant Jordi | regional in Aragon and Castile and León; tradition in Catalonia | in Catalonia, a book and a rose for loved ones |
| 1 May | Fiesta del Trabajo | national | Labour Day |
| 2 May | Día de la Comunidad de Madrid | regional | |
| first Sunday of May | Día de la Madre | tradition | Mother’s Day in Spain |
| 15 May | San Isidro | local (Madrid city) | Madrid’s patron saint |
| May or June | Corpus Christi | local or regional in some places | Thursday, 60 days after Easter; processions and flower carpets, e.g. Toledo, Granada |
| night of 23 June | Noche de San Juan | 24 June is a holiday in Catalonia and some other places | bonfires, fireworks, beach parties; Hogueras in Alicante |
| 6–14 July | San Fermín | local (Pamplona) | the chupinazo rocket at noon on 6 July; bull runs every morning from 7 to 14 July |
| 25 July | Santiago Apóstol | regional in Galicia, some years elsewhere | Galicia’s national day; Santiago de Compostela |
| 15 August | Asunción de la Virgen | national | peak of the summer town fiestas |
| last Wednesday of August | La Tomatina | local (Buñol, Valencia) | a giant tomato fight |
| 11 September | La Diada | regional (Catalonia) | Catalonia’s national day |
| 12 October | Fiesta Nacional de España | national | military parade in Madrid; also the Virgen del Pilar, Zaragoza |
| 1 November | Todos los Santos | national | families visit cemeteries; buñuelos and huesos de santo |
| 6 December | Día de la Constitución | national | the 1978 Constitution |
| 8 December | Inmaculada Concepción | national | |
| 22 December | Lotería de Navidad | tradition | the Christmas lottery draw, el Gordo, sung by schoolchildren |
| 24 December | Nochebuena | tradition | Christmas Eve family dinner |
| 25 December | Navidad | national | Christmas Day |
| 28 December | Día de los Santos Inocentes | tradition | pranks, inocentadas: Spain’s April Fool’s Day |
| 31 December | Nochevieja | tradition | twelve grapes on the twelve chimes of midnight |
Every region has its own day. Among them: Balearic Islands 1 March, Canary Islands 30 May, Castile-La Mancha 31 May, Murcia and La Rioja 9 June, Asturias and Extremadura 8 September, Valencian Community 9 October, Navarre 3 December.
Easter and the moveable dates
- Easter Sunday. The first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, as calculated by the Church. It always falls between 22 March and 25 April.
- Carnaval. The Tuesday of Carnival is 47 days before Easter Sunday; Ash Wednesday, 46 days before, ends it, often with the Entierro de la sardina (the burial of the sardine).
- Semana Santa. From Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) to Easter Sunday (Domingo de Resurrección). Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo) and Good Friday (Viernes Santo) are 3 and 2 days before Easter.
- Corpus Christi. The Thursday 60 days after Easter Sunday; some towns hold the celebration on the following Sunday.
- Mother’s Day. The first Sunday of May in Spain, not Mothering Sunday: in the UK it is the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks before Easter. Father’s Day is 19 March in Spain, but the third Sunday of June in the UK.
Two festivals pupils often attribute to Spain are Mexican: el Día de Muertos (1 and 2 November) and the Cinco de Mayo. In Spain, 1 November is Todos los Santos, a quieter day of remembrance.
Festival vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la fiesta | the party, the festival, the holiday |
| el día festivo | the public holiday |
| la procesión | the procession |
| la cabalgata | the parade (of the Kings) |
| los fuegos artificiales | fireworks |
| la hoguera | the bonfire |
| disfrazarse | to dress up |
| el patrón, la patrona | the patron saint |
| ¡Felices fiestas! | Happy holidays! |
| ¡Feliz Navidad! | Happy Christmas! |
| ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! | Happy New Year! |
Christmas presents come mainly from the Three Kings on 6 January, although Papá Noel has become common too. Some regions have their own gift-bringers: el Olentzero in the Basque Country and Navarre, the Tió de Nadal log in Catalonia.
El 6 de enero los niños abren los regalos de los Reyes Magos.On 6 January children open their presents from the Three Kings.
En Nochevieja comemos doce uvas.On New Year’s Eve we eat twelve grapes.
Las Fallas se celebran en Valencia en marzo.Las Fallas is celebrated in Valencia in March.
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- Capitals: festival names take capitals (Navidad, Semana Santa, Nochevieja), but months do not: el 6 de enero.
- “Fiesta” as party only: mañana es fiesta means “tomorrow is a holiday”.
- Treating every festival as national: the Tomatina is one town’s festival.
- Mixing up Spain and Mexico: Day of the Dead, Cinco de Mayo.
- Pronunciation: the rolled initial r of Reyes; Fallas is “FAH-yahs”, not “fal-as”; Navidad ends in a soft d, almost silent.
In class: festivals in the daily routine
Festivals make the date meaningful: on the right day, the date itself becomes a door into Spanish culture.
- Start with the date as usual: Hoy es 6 de enero.
- If a Spanish festival falls today, show its name and a picture. Ask ¿Qué se celebra hoy en España?
- Share one fact in simple Spanish: Hoy los niños abren los regalos.
- Ask ¿Es fiesta en toda España? Pupils decide: national, regional or local.
- Compare with the UK: ¿Y en el Reino Unido?
This is exactly what a daily routine does best: a small cultural fact, on the right day, every time.
For a longer project, give each group a month and a Spanish festival to present, or have pupils write a letter to the Three Kings in December.
Adapting to your class
- A1Name the day: Hoy es el Día de Reyes.
- A2Describe it in the present: En Pamplona la gente corre delante de los toros.
- B1Tell an experience in the preterite: El año pasado fui a las Fallas.
- B2Give opinions with the subjunctive: No creo que la Tomatina sea un desperdicio.
At KS2, Reyes and the grapes are enough to fascinate. At KS3, use the calendar to practise dates. At GCSE, festivals are a core cultural theme: be ready for debates on bullfighting around San Fermín.
The “Días señalados” module does it for you
Festival days in the country whose language you teach appear in the ritual on the day itself: culture, following the calendar. No preparation needed: try everything free for 15 days of use.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main festivals in Spain?
Reyes (6 January), Carnaval, las Fallas (15–19 March, Valencia), Semana Santa, the Feria de Abril (Seville), San Fermín (6–14 July, Pamplona), la Tomatina (last Wednesday of August, Buñol), Christmas and Nochevieja.
What are the national public holidays in Spain?
1 January, 6 January, Good Friday, 1 May, 15 August, 12 October, 1 November, 6 December, 8 December and 25 December. Regions and towns add their own days.
When is Semana Santa?
The week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Easter falls between 22 March and 25 April, so Semana Santa is in March or April.
When is the Tomatina?
On the last Wednesday of August, in Buñol, near Valencia. It is a local festival, not a national holiday.
When is Mother's Day in Spain?
On the first Sunday of May. Father’s Day is on 19 March, the feast of San José.
Is the Day of the Dead celebrated in Spain?
Not traditionally. El Día de Muertos is Mexican. In Spain, 1 November is Todos los Santos, when families visit cemeteries.