January 6, 2019: Epiphany
This day celebrates the visit of the Three Wise Men from the Orient to the newborn baby Jesus. They brought him gold, incense, and myrrh as gifts. Today, they’re also the ones who leave presents for all the children of Spain.
During the previous evening, in many towns and cities, the parade of the Three Wise Men makes its way through the streets.
March 4, 2019: Carnival
According to some historians, the origin of this festival, which usually lasts three days and in which people dress up in costumes, dates back to ancient Egypt and Sumer, about 5,000 years ago.
In 2010, the Cádiz Carnivals were considered to be one of the ten treasures of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Spain. The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is another of the most popular ones.
March 19, 2019: Fallas de Valencia
This celebration revolves around the Falla monuments: huge, usually satirical figures, that will fight for one of the awards that exist and end up burning. It’s also normal for Valencians to wear traditional costumes during festivities. Another essential element is the music that accompanies each and every one of the most important moments of the Fallas.
March 19, 2019: Father’s Day
Father’s Day in Spain coincides with the Day of San José. On Father’s Day, families gather around their fathers, grandfathers, or stepfathers to make a special meal and give them a gift.
April 14, 2019: Holy Week
It’s a whole week that has a few important days. Palm Sunday, which commemorates the arrival of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem is celebrated by carrying palms and olive branches to church to be blessed with water. Ash Wednesday is the day of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. On Good Friday, the day of the Passion and death of Jesus Christ, is the day on which we find representations in churches and on the streets by processions. Finally, there’s Easter Sunday or Resurrection, with different traditions in each region.
April 23, 2019: Saint George’s Day
St. George is par excellence the patron saint of lovers in Catalonia. Despite being a holiday, Catalans work on this day. Roses and books, which are given to loved ones as gifts, fill all the streets and the squares of all the towns and villages of Catalonia during this one day.
May 1, 2019: Labour Day
Labor Day is celebrated every May 1 in memory of the martyrs of Chicago. In Spain, this first day of May became relevant for the workers of the country, and during the time of the second Spanish Republic from 1931 to 1939, the public was allowed to celebrate it. However, with the arrival of the dictatorship, its celebration was prohibited. When the Communist Party was legalized, it was once again celebrated, re-emerging in 1977 and becoming an official holiday in Spain.
May 5, 2019: Mother’s Day
In Spain, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. The traditions of this day in Spain are not very different from those in the rest of the world. Flowers (especially carnations or roses), chocolates, and crafts that children prepare in class, are found in every country.
June 20, 2019: Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi celebrates the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body of the Lord. It’s the biggest festival in Toledo. The streets of the city, which have been especially decorated, are traversed by a parade. Highlights include la Custodia, a valuable work of jewelry from 1515 made of gold and silver, and the procession, composed of the different brotherhoods.
June 23, 2019: St. John’s Eve
This night, the shortest of the year, was chosen by the primitive people to celebrate their rites with fire and was considered magical. The Church later decided that it should be the day of St. John the Baptist, who they say was born on that date.
It’s a very lively Festival at which mostly young people gather. They spend the night on the beaches next to the bonfires dancing, eating, and drinking.
July 7, 2019: San Fermín
“The Festival of San Fermin,” or Sanfermines is held in Pamplona, the capital of Navarre, and it begins on July 6 and ends on July 14. During this week, the city is filled with white costumes with the traditional red scarves. The best-known event is undoubtedly the running of the bulls, which consists of driving a herd of bulls, at eight in the morning, from the pens of Santo Domingo to the plaza de toros.
July 25, 2019: Saint James
Saint James Day, or the Feast of Saint James, is celebrated on July 25 in Spain in commemoration of the apostle James who was known for his preaching in Spain. It’s common to visit his tomb to ask forgiveness for sins, though nowadays it’s more typical to celebrate with fireworks and a feast at the Cathedral.
August 15, 2019: Assumption Day
Assumption Day is the commemoration of when the Virgin Mary is thought to have been taken up into Heaven after her death. This public holiday is celebrated in Spain through processions as well as festivities involving colorful decorations and special clothing for the celebration.
August 28, 2019: Tomatina
This is a celebration where you can get rid of all the stress that you’ve accumulated by throwing tomatoes in all directions. In 1945, some young people weren’t allowed to be part of a parade and began fighting each other. It’s said that there was a vegetable stand nearby and the young people grabbed the vegetables and threw them at the others. Tomatoes ended up flying everywhere until the police intervened.
September 8, 2019: Day of Asturias
This is the commemoration of the Virgin Mary’s birthday, and takes place as a public holiday in Asturias. It’s largely celebrated through the flying and displaying of Asturias flag, as well as eating traditional food and enjoying other community festivities.
September 8, 2019: Day of Extremadura
The Day of Extremadura is celebrated in the community of the same name, and is a commemoration of the Virgin Mary and all she accomplished in her life. It’s centered around the statue called Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Extremadura, though the Extremadura Flag is another important symbol on this day. There are several types of festivities on this day, including barbecues and competitions.
September 11, 2019: National Day of Catalonia
The National Day of Catalonia is celebrated in order to honor and commemorate those who fought and sacrificed themselves to keep Spain free of Barcelonian rule in 1714. It’s often celebrated with demonstrations and other events related to the culture of Catalonia.
September 24, 2019: Barcelona’s Day (La Mercè)
La Mercè is the biggest celebration in Barcelona, which has been held since 1871. One of the most important events is the fire-run, where the street is closed and some community groups dressed up as demons enter; they carry firecrackers in their hands. Another really typical event of these celebrations is without a doubt the castellers, or “human towers.”
October 12, 2019: Hispanic Day
This is the National Day of Spain and it commemorates the discovery of America by Spain and the birth of the Spanish Empire.
In Madrid, on this day there’s an impressive military parade involving all branches of the military: planes, tanks, and other branches. This is attended by the King along with the Royal Family and leading politicians of the time.
November 1, 2019: All Saints’ Day
Halloween, as it’s known in countries with Anglo-Saxons heritages, is spreading more and more. This holiday has especially become very popular in schools, where many attend classes that day in costumes.
In Spain there are other celebrations apart from Halloween, such as Magosto in the Northwest and the Castanyada in Catalonia.
December 6, 2019: Constitution Day
This day celebrates the adoption of the current Constitution, which was approved on October 31, 1978 by the courts; it was approved by a referendum on December 6. The King signed it and proclaimed it on the 27th of that month, and it went into effect on the 29th.
There are not many events held on this day.
December 8, 2019: Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the Catholic belief that Mary conceived Jesus without “original sin,” and is typically celebrated with feasts, processions, and special church services.
December 26, 2019: St. Stephen’s Day
This holiday is observed in order to commemorate and recognize the martyrdom of St. Stephen, who’s known as the first Christian martyr, though it’s celebration in Spain is limited to Catalonia. It’s common to celebrate this holiday with a feast consisting of Christmas Day leftovers.
December 28, 2019: Holy Innocents’ Day
Essentially, Holy Innocents’ Day began as a commemoration of the little children who were murdered at the order of King Herod in biblical times, as he tried to have Jesus killed. But over time, it’s become a much more lighthearted holiday, during which Spaniards play various jokes on each other.
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