Mallorcan holidays

In Mallorca, the holidays are split into national, regional and municipal holidays. National holidays are non-working days in all Spanish provinces and territories.

National holidays

National holidays are holidays that apply to both the Balearic Islands, Ferienhaus Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands and the Spanish mainland. Most national holidays have a religious significance. A list of the main holidays is below:

• January 1st: New Year's Day
• January 6: Epiphany (Three Kings)
• Easter: Good Friday
• May 1: Labour Day
• August 15: Assumption
• October 12: Spanish National Holiday
• November 1st: All Saints Day
• December 6: Constitution Day
• December 8: Immaculate Conception
• December 25th: Christmas Day

On national holidays, shops, offices and public authorities remain closed. Shops in busy resorts, which are often on Sundays and public holidays too are usually exempt.

Regional holidays in Mallorca

The Balearic Islands is an autonomous region within Spain. With this status, the regional government determines three holidays per year independently of the Spanish central government. These holidays only apply on the Balearic archipelago.

The most important regional holiday is the "Dia de les Illes Balears" (Day of the Balearic Islands), which is celebrated every year on the 1st of March. It is considered Independence Day, because on 1 March 1983 the Spanish Parliament officially granted autonomy to the Balearic Islands. The holiday is accompanied by street parties and concerts on public stages. All shops in Mallorca including the Shopping Centres Mallorca in Palma de Mallorca remain closed on this day.

Maundy Thursday is the second regional holiday due to the tremendous importance of religion to the island's majority Catholic population. On the Thursday before Easter in Mallorca, elaborately staged festive processions take place all over the island. The most famous of them all is the "procession of blood" in the island's capital, Palma de Mallorca. This parade through the old town is attended by all of Mallorca's numerous religious "brotherhoods".

Members dressed as penitents carry heavy altars through the streets and members of the "Nazarenos" brotherhood carry huge wooden crosses on their shoulders. Easter Monday is the third regional holiday in Mallorca. Unlike the UK or most of Europe, this day is not a national holiday in the rest of Spain. Easter Monday is also a day off on the other Balearic Islands.

Municipal holidays

A special feature in Mallorca are the two municipal holidays. They are selected by the individual communities and are valid only in that particular municipal area. Often the holiday is dedicated to a regional patron saint. This sometimes results in large deviations between the individual municipalities. In Manacor, Muro and Pollença in the north of Mallorca, the 17th of January is valid as a public holiday, but the second municipal holiday is celebrated on different dates. In many Mallorcan communities and in the island's capital, Palma de Mallorca, Boxing Day (December 26th) is a communal holiday although it is not designated as an official national holiday in Spain.