2017 Barcelona's Calendar

1 January – The New Year.

6 January – Epiphany – This day celebrates the reveal of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ.

12 February – The Day of Saint Juliet. On this day there are films and musical performances in the Cathedral.

All the end of February / beginning of March (the date changes every year) – the Carnival of Barcelona, where each neighborhood performs a dance with representatives of all ages. Including spectacular costumes, a parade and a competition between the neighborhoods. The parade takes place on Paralel Street – worth watching!

19 March – St. Joseph’s Day (Father’s Day)

13 April – Maundy Thursday

14 April – Good Friday

15 April – Children’s Day in Spain

17 April – Easter Monday

23 April – St. George’s Day (La Diada de Sant Jordi) – The date when St. George had died in 303 AD became the traditional day for celebration of the feast day. It is the local equivalent of Valentine’s Day, the main custom of this holiday: the men buy their lovers roses, while they give their loved ones a book.

1 May – Labor Day

5 May – Mother’s Day

13 June – Anthony of Padua Feast Day

15 June – Corpus Christi

24 June – St John’s Day – This religious holiday is strongly connected with the pre-Christian Midsummer celebrations, and it is the longest day of the year. Celebrations typically include bonfires, parades, dancing and singing and usually last throughout the night and the entire following day.

15 August – Assumption of Mary – This feast celebrates the belief that the Virgin Mary was bodily taken up into heaven at the end of her earthly life. It is a dogma in the Roman Catholic Church.

11 September – The National Day of Catalonia. On this day the city was conquered by the king of Philip V after the War of the Spanish Succession and sentenced to the Spanish-Castilian rules to this day.

24 September – La Mercè Festival – lasts around 5 days, held in honour of Mare de Deu de la Mercè, the Patron Saint of Barcelona. The festival farewell to summer and welcomes in the cooler months of autumn.

12 October – National Day in Spain (Fiesta Nacional de España). Spain is not celebrating Independence Day since it was never conquered and has not gained independence from anyone. This annual holiday commemorates the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the Americas.

31 October – Halloween

1 November – All Saints’ Day – This day is to honors all the saints, known and unknown. It is customary to visit the graves of deceased relatives, to clean the tombs, light candles and bring flowers.

6 December – Constitution Day in Spain – this is one of the major national holidays in Spain. It is celebrated annually as the anniversary of the 1978 referendum, when a new Constitution was adopted after the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. It is an official day off.

8 December – Feast of the Immaculate Conception – Celebrates the solemn belief that the conception of Virgin May was free from original sin.

24-25 December – Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

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