Spanish holiday guide
Christmas Day
Christmas Day (Natividad del Señor) on 25 December is the Christian feast of Jesus’s birth and a Spain-wide paid national holiday.
What it means
It celebrates the Nativity; in Spain it sits inside a longer season that includes Nochebuena and Epiphany.
Origin and history
Ancient Christian feast on 25 December; entrenched in Spanish labour law as a non-substitutable national holiday.
How it is observed in Spain
Closures nationwide; Masses and belenes; family meals centred especially on Nochebuena; gifts often associated with Reyes as well as or instead of the 25th.
Interesting facts
- Official title in the BOE (Spain’s official state gazette) and Workers’ Statute: Natividad del Señor.
- Distinct from Nochebuena and from Epiphany gift customs.
- Strong nativity-scene (belén) culture.
Public calendar
Check the 2026 dates
Holiday status depends on place. See the official calendar pages for the locations covered by this guide.