‘All Saints Day’ is a bank holiday in Spain on November 1… find out why, and what is so special about this Spanish holiday
November 1 is a national holiday in Spain every year, but why is the day after Halloween a Spanish public holiday and how do Spanish people celebrate this day off?
Every region and town in Spain has a local holiday on the day of their patron saint, while November 1 is the day of all the saints, el Día de Todos los Santos, so it’s a bank holiday for the whole country. Shops, banks and supermarkets traditionally close on November 1, but increasingly many large chains are choosing to open on festivos, so it is worth checking the specific opening times of your local store. Of course, plenty of bars should remain open.
This year, 2025, it falls on a Saturday, so there will be no ‘puente’ or long weekend as the day off is not transferred to a weekday for anyone except some schoolchildren.
These days, such traditions have mutated into what we now celebrate as Halloween, while the Catholic feast of All Saints Day remains an official public holiday in Spain. It’s also sometimes known as the Day of the Dead, but that more often refers to the Mexican celebration that spans November 1 and November 2 (the Day of the Faithful Departed).
On All Saints Day in Spain, some families take the opportunity to visit the cemeteries where their ancestors and loved ones are buried. As a family, they then clean the graves, leave flowers, light candles and take time to remember their dearly departed.
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