Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious (Roman Catholic), national and regional observances.
Each municipality is allowed to have a maximum of 14 public holidays per year; a maximum of nine of these are chosen by the national government and at least two are chosen locally, including patronal festivals.
If one of the "national holidays" happens to fall on a Sunday the regional governments — the autonomous communities of Spain — can choose an alternate holiday or they can allow local authorities to choose.
It was the first time a non-Christian religious festival has been officially celebrated in Spain since the Reconquista.
some workers take a day off (the Monday or the Friday) to make a four-day long weekend known as a puente ("bridge").