Lorraine Williamson
MADRID – Semana Santa, or Easter, is coming to an end, but in some Spanish regions people can still enjoy a day off today. Easter Monday falls on April 10 this time and is a public holiday in several autonomous communities.
In some Autonomous Communities, people are given a day off on Easter Monday as a substitute for Maundy Thursday, and in others, the Monday off results in a ‘puente’, a long weekend.
Easter Monday is a public holiday in six regions this year: in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, La Rioja and Navarra. The only region that does not consider Maundy Thursday (April 6) as a day off is Catalonia, while the rest have both days off.
Good Friday (April 7) is considered a national holiday. So none of the above areas were worked on that day.
Easter holidays 2023
In summary, these are the days off in April for easter that were listed in the national and regional work calendars.
2nd: Palm Sunday – Holiday throughout Spain.
3rd: Holy Monday – Working day throughout Spain.
4th: Holy Tuesday – Working day throughout Spain.
5th: Holy Wednesday – Working day throughout Spain.
6th: Maundy Thursday – Public holiday, except in Catalonia.
7th: Good Friday – Day off throughout Spain.
8th: Holy Saturday – Working day throughout Spain for those who work weekends.
9th: Easter Sunday – Working day throughout Spain for those who work weekends.
10th: Easter Monday – Holidays in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, La Rioja and Navarra.
Also read: Fiestas, Celebrations, and Ferias in Spain 2023
How many public holidays are there this year?
The next long weekend with extra free will not fall until around May 1, the national holiday on the occasion of Labour Day. This year it falls on a Monday so everyone is free and can enjoy a long weekend.
In addition, Madrid celebrates May 2, the regional day commemorating the uprising against Napoleon’s French troops that took place on that date in 1808.
The first national holiday after Labour Day is August 15, Asunción de la Virgen (Assumption of Mary or Assumption of Mary). This year it falls on a Tuesday, so only those employees who take Monday the 14th off will have a long weekend. No region in Spain considers the day before the 15th a regional holiday.
Related post: Why are December 6 and 8 public holidays in Spain?
The next national holiday will then be on October 12. The Dia de la Hispanidad. Then it’s All Saints’ Day on November 1. That falls on a Wednesday this year. Also, there is a long December weekend this year. The Day of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 falls on a Friday. However, Constitution Day, Día de la Constitución falls on a Wednesday. So those who want a long weekend will have to take Thursday 7 December off.
Finally, the first subsequent public holiday is at Christmas, on Monday 25 December.
Related post: These are the holidays and long weekends of 2023 in Spain