Public holidays · 2026
Immaculate Conception falls on Tuesday, 8 December 2026 in Spain in 2026.
A public holiday across Spain: most employees have the day off.
In 2026 it falls on a Tuesday, a working day.
Fixed date: it is on the same day of the year every year (8 Dec).
Saturday and Sunday · A public holiday does not always close every business. Essential services, shops and some industries keep working, and pay rules differ by country and contract.
The Immaculate Conception is a Catholic feast that celebrates the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved free from original sin from the moment of her conception. It is often confused with the conception of Jesus, but that is a different feast, the Annunciation, kept on 25 March. The doctrine was proclaimed a dogma by Pope Pius IX on 8 December 1854 in the bull Ineffabilis Deus. The name of the feast is often misunderstood, because the word conception refers to Mary's own conception by her mother, Saint Anne.
The day is the national feast of several countries and a patron day of many places and institutions. In Spain, the Immaculate is a patron of the infantry and the date is also associated with children's choirs, the Seises of Seville, who dance before the cathedral altar. In Italy and Austria, 8 December is also the traditional opening of the Christmas shopping period, and Christmas markets and decorations start around it. Spain and Italy hold processions and flower offerings to statues of Mary on the day, such as the traditional offering at the Column of the Immaculate Conception in Rome near the Spanish Steps, where the Pope or the fire brigade places a wreath.
Everywhere in Spain.
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Questions
A public holiday across Spain: most employees have the day off.
Tuesday, 8 December 2026.