The Spanish calendar has 8 national holidays. One of them takes place in the month of August, specifically on the 15th. It is the Day of the Assumption, a holiday with religious connotations that many people enjoy as a simple holiday, but which has an important history to know.
On the holiday of August 15, the Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is celebrated, referring to the ascension of the mother of Jesus Christ to heaven. To find out all about What is celebrated on August 15th, its origin and where it is celebratedAt OneHOWTO we recommend that you continue reading this article.
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What is celebrated on the holiday of August 15th
The holiday of August 15th serves to celebrate the Day of the Assumption of the Virgin MaryIt is a religious festival that refers to the ascension of the mother of Jesus Christ to heaven.
The Assumption of the Virgin is the Christian belief that, once her earthly life ended and she died, The body and soul of the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven. For this reason, it has a deeply rooted Catholic and traditional character in Spain. This holiday also serves to celebrate the hope of the most religious people that, as happened with the Virgin Mary, they will end up being rewarded for their fidelity and, after earthly life, will ascend to heaven.
Origin of the August 15th holiday
He Pope Pius XII He was in charge of establishing the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin in 1950. The Church celebrated on that day the victory of God in the Virgin Mary. In this sense, the Catholic Church has an Oral tradition that points to the August 15, 43 ADthe date on which Mary was transported by angels to heaven after ending her earthly life.
And in 1950, Pope Pius XII established this event as a holiday. The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is not a biblical story, or at least it is not understood as such. In reality, it is a series of apocryphal writings that narrate what her last days of life on earth were like.
Where is the August 15 holiday celebrated?
And where is August 15th a holiday? As stated above, August 15th is one of the 8 national holidays, so it is a public holiday. in all the autonomous communities of SpainTherefore, it is a holiday in Aragon, Andalusia, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha, the Community of Madrid, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Navarre, Galicia, Extremadura, Asturias, the Basque Country, La Rioja, the Region of Murcia, Melilla and Ceuta.
The whole country has this day marked on the calendar as a non-working day, that is, it is a non-replaceable holidaywhich implies that all communities cannot change this day for another that suits them better by tradition.
How to celebrate August 15th
It is common that on the holiday of August 15, thousands of people do Floral offerings to the Virgin of the Assumption. It is a day that usually coincides with the pattern of local festivals in some municipalities, so in many towns they are held processions, masses and festivals throughout the day. Among the events that take place on August 15 in Spain, some cities such as Seville stand out, where the image of the Virgin Mary is usually carried in procession through the streets. In fact, this event begins at 8 in the morning and, in the procession, the costaleros are in charge of taking the Virgen de los Reyes out of the Cathedral.
Since it coincides with other patron saint festivals on the same day, it is also worth highlighting a different August 15th festivity: it is in Madrid and it is the Festival of the Virgin of the Dovethat is, the patron saint of the La Latina neighborhood.
The Virgin of the Assumption is also the patron saint of Guijueloa town in Salamanca where a mass procession takes place on August 15. The Virgin walks through the streets carried by her most faithful followers and watched by the rest of the population.
Many people of Catholic faith celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin on August 15th.cudiendo a LourdesThis date coincides with the anniversary of the French national pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Lourdes. In 2023, it was the 150th anniversary of this pilgrimage, so thousands of people (between 16,000 and 18,000) travelled to the sanctuary located in the south of France.
Now that you know what is celebrated on the 15th of August, you may be interested in knowing the best festivals in Spain.
If you want to read more articles similar to August 15th Holiday: What is Celebrated, Origin and Where is it Celebrated?we recommend that you enter our Parties and Celebrations category.
