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HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS

HOLIDAYS 2014
   

New Years Day
Epiphany (Three King's Day) - Christian
Andalusia Day
Good Friday - Easter Sunday
Holy Week and Easter (Semana Santa)
Labor Day
Corpus Christi
Feast of John the Baptist
Feast of St. James the Apostle
Feast of the Assumption(Asunción de la Virgen)
Spain's National Day (Columbus Day)
All Saint's Day
Los Humanitarios de San Martín - Spain
Constitution Day
Immaculate Conception
Feast Anta Lucia - Spain
Christmas
New Years Eve

January 1st
January 6th
February 28th
April 18th
April 20th
May 1st
June 19th
June 24
July 25
August 15th
October 12th
November 1st
November 10th
December 6th
December 8th
December 13th
December 25th
December 31st

   
Public Holidays:  
  • National
    • Jan 1, 6
    • April, 22
    • May 1
    • Aug 15
    • October 12th
    •  Nov 1
    • Dec 6, 8, 25
 
  • Cadiz
    • Feb. 28
    • Mar. 7
    • Apr. 21
    • May 2
    • Oct 7
    • Dec. 26
  • Barcelona
    • Mar 7
    • Apr. 25
    • Jun 13 & 24
    • Sep 24
    • Dec. 26
  • Granada
    • Feb 28
    • Mar. 29
    • May 30
  • Madrid
    • Apr. 21
    • May 2
    • Jun 23
    • Jul 25
    • Sep. 9
    • Nov. 9
  • Malaga
    • Feb 28
    • Apr 21
    • May 2
    • Aug 19
    • Sep. 8
    • Dec. 26
  • Marbella
    • Feb 28
    • Apr 21
    • May 2
    • Jun 11
    • Oct 19
    • Dec 26
  • Salamanca
    • Apr. 21 & 23
    • Jun 13
    • Jul. 25
    • Sep. 8
    • Dec. 26
  • Seville
    • Feb 28
    • Apr 21
    • May 2 & 30
    • Jun 23
    • Dec. 26

 


 

FESTIVALS

 

Festivals play a major role in Spanish life. They are eagerly awaited and planned well in advance. Each city and region has its own special fiesta, often in honor of a patron saint. Activities associated with fiestas include processions, fireworks, dancing, and the wearing of the regional costume, bullfights, and amusement attractions.

 

Here are a few

 

Three Kings Celebrations is an evening parade on January 5th. Often, on the eve of Three King's Day, the Christ child is placed in nativity scenes in local homes and stores. Men attired in Three Kings costumes ride on colorfully decorated floats & throw tons of candies to thousands of people lined up on the streets.

Location: Pretty much all-Spanish towns

 

Carnaval Celebrations takes place the week before Lent. The Spanish word "Carnaval" means "farewell to flesh." It is a period of feasting and revelry just before Lent. The church often refers to it as the "Devil's Feast." Most Americans know this celebration by the name "Mardi Gras", as it is called in New Orleans. Celebrations include wild masquerade dances, parades, fireworks, pinatas, and elections of nymphs, burning of witches, singing contests, street-singing parties, patio decorations and costume contest.

Location: Cadiz; El Puerto de Santa Maria; Rota; Chipiona; San Lucar de Barremeda and Jerez de la Frontera

 

Running of the Bulls, which takes place in the second week of July, is dedicated to Pamplona's Saint Fermin who was martyred when bulls dragged him through the streets. For over six centuries now, the Spanish have held gala festivals involving bulls, dancing and voluminous consumption of red wine. Pamplona, a small town in the northern part of Spain hosts the wildest and most famous of all these festivals -- La Fiesta De San Fermin -- which undoubtedly ranks as one of the most exciting and fun-filled weeks anywhere on earth. The celebration first gained world attention with Hemingway's classic, The Sun Also Rises. Today, thousands of people flock to Pamplona each year to be chased through the same streets by bulls. If you want to have a great time, go to Pamplona.

Location: Pamplona

 
"Ferias", take place from the end of April to end of May. The importance and popularity of a given fair depends on the size of the town. Not only the decoration, lighting of the fairgrounds, number of bullfights, rides, shooting galleries and "casetas" (booths), but also the idiosyncrasies of the local people and area wines are the determining factors in gaining fame for certain fairs. Fair activity programs usually include at least one bullfight. Late in the evening, after the bullfights, the fair activities regain new energy and last until dawn.

Location: Andalusia's cities

La Tomatina, takes place on the last Wednesday of each August. It is one of the Spain's most popular summer festivals - the annual tomato-throwing festival. Participants pelted each other with overripe tomatoes, turning the streets of this eastern Spanish town into red, juicy pools. It started in the 1940s when children started throwing their lunch at each other one day in a downtown square, at a time when the region's tomato exports were starting to pick up. They met again the following year, this time pelting passers-by as well and giving birth to the tradition. Every August, on the last Wednesday of the month, Bunol becomes an all out tomato fight between 11am and 1pm.

Location: Bunol

 
Horse Fair, takes place late April/early May. It is a week dedicated to horses. Jerez is famous for raising the best quality horses in Spain. Different competitions, including bullfighting on horseback, are held and awards presented. It also features the annual evening gala of the famous Andalucian Dancing Horses.

Location: Jerez de la Frontera

 

The Mercè (patron saint of the city) is one of the most important celebrations in Barcelona. The main event is on September 24th, although various pageants, concerts and activities begin three days earlier. Three of the most traditional events around the Mercé celebrations are:
-'Els Castellets', building human towers. The 'castle' is deemed to be complete when the very smallest person is at the top and activities begin three days earlier.
-'El Correfoc', 'diablos y demonios', devils and demons armed with all sorts of fireworks go through the streets.
-The Celebration ends with the fireworks and music spectacle on September 24th', at 10 o'clock in the evening.

Location: Barcelona

 
San Isidro, takes place in the second half of May, is in honor Madrid's Patron Saint. The celebrations are accompanied by typical Madrid folklore, including Fair and Dances that are organized on the meadow of San Isidro, where the people of Madrid sing, dance and enjoy themselves next to the Hermitage of their Patron Saint. There are also ballet and opera performances as well as the traditional bullfights at the bullring of Las Ventas.

Location: Madrid

 
Ferias and Fiestas de San Mateo takes place in September. For two weeks, there is a fully organized program of concerts, parades, exhibitions, bullfights and markets.

Location: Salamanca

"Semana Santa", takes place during Holy Week/Easter. There is Palm Sunday and Holy Week processions with a variety of colorfully decorated floats depicting Christ's Crucifixion, as well as other historically Christian statues. The participants in the processions dress in special robes and hoods, which add color and somberness to the event.

Location: Andalusia



 

 

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