The Spanish love to party. Even their word for party—”fiesta”—sounds festive. And you’d think they were the most pious nation in the world by the number of saints they celebrate.
A number of these Saint’s Days involve young people imbibing vast quantities of alcohol and dancing in the streets until dawn. Not quite saintly, though somewhat Augustinian.
“Lord give me chastity and continence, but not yet.” — St. Augustine, Confessions
Spain is however a deeply Catholic nation as many of its holidays attest to. In fact, Catholicism may be the one thing that binds Spaniards together. Contrary to popular belief, Spain is not unified by a single language. There’s Catalon spoken in the northeast Barcelona. Euskari still survives up in the Basque Country. Despite being one color on your map of the world, each region has its own unique customs and holidays. And lots of them!
New Year’s Day (January 1)
Epiphany (January 6)
Father’s Day / San Jose (March 19)
Labor Day (May 1)
Assumption (August 15)
Day of Spanishness (October 12)
All Saints Day (November 1)
Constitution Day (December 6)
Immaculate Conception (December 8)
Christmas (December 25)
Regional Holidays include:
Aberri Eguna, Basque National Day (February 26)
Dîa de Andalucía (February 28)
Dîa de Illes Balears (March 1)
Las Fallas (Valencia, ends March 19)
Saint George’s Day / San Jorge / Aragon Day / Castilla y León Day (April 23)
Fiesta de la Comunidad (Madrid, May 2)
Saint Isadore / San Isidro (Madrid, May 15)
Canary Islands Day (May 30)
Castille-La Mancha Day (May 31)
Murcia Day (June 9)
Rioja Day (June 9)
Saint John’s Day / San Joan (Catalonia, June 24)
Saint Fermin / Running of the Bulls / Encierro (Pamplona, July 7)
Saint James’ Day / Camino de Santiago (Basque Country / Galicia, July 25)
La Tomatina (Buñol, last Wednesday in August)
Ceuta Day (September 2)
Nativity of the Virgin Mary / Astrurias Day / Extremadura Day (September 8)
National Festival of Catalonia (September 11)
Valencia Day (October 9)
Saint Stephen’s Day / San Esteban (Catalonia, December 26)
