Some non-Spaniards are frustrated by the number of bank holidays there are in Spain and want to ban them. So do some Spaniards. There are rather a lot of days off, it’s true, but so long as you’re not caught unawares, it’s rather nice, I find.

Yes, the Spanish enjoy more bank holidays, días festivos, than any other Western nation.  They get 16, plus some additional regional ones, compared to just eight in the UK, for example.

Industry, commerce and banking probably find this large number of days off work the most irritating, particular with the tradition of the puente.  This occurs when a holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday and workers take off the Monday or Friday as well, thereby creating a long weekend.

But for many of us, especially those who are retired, it’s splendid and all part of the rich and quaint  tapestry of life in Spain that we immigrants love: the siesta, the fiesta, the paseo, the tertulia, tapas, los toros, as well as the frustrating things like the office worker’s mid-morning desayuno, the culture of mañana, la burocracia and lack of puntualidad.

Look out for next week, by the way!  Monday 6th December is Día de la Constitución and Wednesday 8th is Inmaculada Concepción, so you can guess what happens on Tuesday 7th – yep, puente.

So, some shops could be shut from Saturday lunchtime until Thursday morning.  Better stock up on food just in case!

Ban holidays in Spain?  No, Bank holidays, OK!

© Paul Whitelock

Tags: bank holiday, Spain, día festivo, puente, siesta, fiesta, paseo, tertulia, tapas, los toros, desayuno, mañana, burocracia, puntualidad, Día de la Constitución, nmaculada Concepción, puente,  Paul Whitelock, www.a1-solutions-spain.com