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Is December 26th a public holiday in Spain?

December 26th, known as Boxing Day or Saint Stephen’s Day, is not an important day on the Christmas calendar in most of Spain. But will it be a public holiday in your region keeping in mind that Christmas falls partly over a weekend this year?

Published: 20 December 2022 10:42 CET
Updated: 25 December 2023 11:54 CET

december 26 holiday spain

Tourists on a horse-drawn carriage ride around to see the city decorated with Christmas lights on December 17, 2022 in Seville. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fall on a Sunday and a Monday respectively in 2023.

So it’s only logical that you may be wondering if that means you won’t get to enjoy an extra day off work this Christmas.

Have Spanish officials decided to make Monday December 26th a holiday instead to make up for it?

As often happens on these occasions when public holidays fall on weekends, it’s up to regional governments to decide whether to offer its citizens a puente (long weekend) instead, or choose a regional holiday for another date in the calendar.

In 2023, Tuesday December 26th will only be a regional holiday in Catalonia (except in the Valle de Arán) and in some municipalities in the Balearic Islands.

READ ALSO: How to make the most of Spain’s public and regional holidays in 2023

Boxing Day isn’t the same in Spain as it is in the UK or other Commonwealth countries; it’s not referred to as that and it’s not a shopping holiday.

What is celebrated on December 26th in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands is Saint Stephen’s Day, known as well as the Feast of Saint Stephen.

The reason why it’s mainly a Catalan celebration is that in the 9th century Catalonia formed part of the Carolingian empire, originally founded by Charlemagne, which had different Christian celebrations to Visigothic Spain.

December 26th was chosen as a non-working day in order to give family members time to return home after enduring long journeys to see their loved ones on Christmas Day.

Nowadays, it’s traditional to eat cannelloni in Catalonia to mark the occasion, but Sant Esteve isn’t such a big deal among Catalans as other regional holidays.

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EXPLAINED: Spain's new monthly pass to access porn websites

In Spain, the average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography is between eight and nine years old and 50 percent of children between 11 and 13 years old actively watch or look at this type of content, according to data collected by the Dale Una Vuelta association, which aims to help porn addicts.

The association has been asking for regulation for years, particularly because last year it was revealed that there has been a rise in sexual attacks by minors who watch porn. There has been a total increase of 116 percent in sexual assaults carried out by children in the last five years.

READ ALSO – ‘Learning through porn’: Concern in Spain over rise in sexual attacks by minors

Digital Transformation Minister José Luis Escrivá explained that the app should be fully operational within the next couple of months.

Essentially it will be able to verify the user’s age and issue a credential, which will be valid for 30 days. This will prevent anyone under the age of 18 from accessing a porn site.

Users must request authorisation through the Beta Digital Wallet application, which will be downloadable onto a mobile phone.

The person must then identify themselves using an electronic DNI, digital certificate or Cl@ve.

Based on the data collected, the person’s age will be verified before they can access a site. This will expire after one month, when they will have to reapply for more credentials.

It works in a similar way to a mobile phone wallet. When you access an adult content platform, the website itself will provide a QR code that must be scanned from the application to prove that you are of age.

Monthly renewal is necessary to prevent web pages from keeping all of the users’ browsing data.

Currently, only adult content platforms in Spain will be required to carry out this verification, but the Ministry has requested the collaboration of other places such as social networks or instant messaging apps.

The National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) will also manage a list of pages with adult content not subject to Spanish jurisdiction, with the aim that browsers will be able to verify the age of those who want to access it, before revealing any content.

The Digital Wallet can also be used to store other official documents, such as university degrees, registration data or electronic DNI.

However, cybersecurity experts say the app will be subject to basic technical flaws, which will make the system totally ineffective.

The initiative has also raised all kinds of ethical, technical and legal questions, with many saying they people shouldn’t have to identify themselves in the same way they do to pay their taxes to be able to access porn.

The monthly pass has been jokingly dubbed in the Spanish press as pajaporte, a play on words between paja (wank) and pasaporte (passport).

Minister Escrivá has justified the plan by saying that we need to tackle the problem of children accessing porn. “The data we see regarding minors’ access to adult content and its possible consequences are what have led us to develop this tool as quickly as possible,” he said.

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