Surely you have already prepared your getaway for this June 9, 2025 in Barcelona, and celebrate the Second Easter away from Barcelona or within the city but, at least, hand in hand. What you may not have known, and will help you increase the joy of the holiday, is that this day off is not celebrated in much of the country, but is exclusive to Catalonia and few other places in Spain.
This holiday, known as Easter Pomegranate or Pentecost, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, an event that according to Christian tradition occurred fifty days after Easter Sunday. We tell you where it is celebrated and why Catalonia is one of the lucky ones.
Where is the holiday on the Second Easter?
In Catalonia, the Second Easter is a local holiday, not a regional or national one, and each city council decides whether to include it in its annual work calendar. In the case of Barcelona, the city council has confirmed that June 9 will be one of the city’s two local holidays in 2025. In addition to Barcelona, more than 200 Catalan municipalities, especially in the metropolitan area, celebrate this day as a public holiday, allowing many workers to enjoy a three-day long weekend.
However, not all Catalan municipalities celebrate it; for example, in Lleida, Girona, Tarragona, Terrassa, Sabadell and Reus it will not be a public holiday.
But Catalonia is not the only region that celebrates it. These are the other areas of Spain where it will also be a public holiday:
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Castilla-La Mancha (Ciudad Real): In Ciudad Real, Pentecost Monday coincides with the Romería de Alarcos and is a local holiday in the capital and other towns in the province.
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Castilla y León (Zamora): In some areas of Zamora it is also celebrated as a local holiday, although it is not generalized throughout the community.
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Andalusia (Huelva): In Huelva, especially in the village of El Rocío, Whit Monday is very significant for the celebration of the Pilgrimage of El Rocío, although it is not always an official holiday throughout the province.
Why is it celebrated in Catalonia and not in the rest of Spain?
The reason why the Second Easter (or Pentecost) is celebrated as a public holiday in some places and not in others is due to the structure of the working calendar in Spain, which combines national, regional and local holidays. Each municipality can choose two local holidays, in addition to those set by the State and the autonomous community. Therefore, the Second Easter is only a holiday in those municipalities that select it as one of their local holidays.
In Catalonia, for example, the Second Easter has strong historical and cultural roots, so many municipalities include it as a local holiday.
It is said, in fact, that the celebration of the Second Passover has to do with agrarian celebrations, which at some point would have joined the Jewish festival of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, where the giving of the tablets of the law on Mount Sinai is celebrated.
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