The Spanish for a bank holiday/public holiday/legal holiday is día feriado or fiesta nacional.

• Each autonomous province has regional holidays each year in addition to the standard national holidays. Local holidays usually include a local "community day" and a celebration of certain Saints
• If a public holiday falls on a Sunday it may be celebrated on a weekday 
• All banks and most shops and museums close on public holidays and bars and restaurants outside tourist areas may close too
• Hospitals and emergency services do not close on public holidays
• Taxis may add increase their rates for journeys on public holidays
• When a public holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, it is common practice to "make the bridge" (hacer puente) by taking off the Friday or Monday so creating a very long weekend. When this happens you may find businesses running on short staff or smaller family run business closed for the full period

National Public Holidays in Spain 2008

Madrid public holidays 2008

• For national and regional holidays see the Spanish Government website (PDF in Spanish)

Public Holidays Worldwide

For information on public holidays around the world, see the following links:

• UK: Department of Trade and Industry
• USA Federal Holidays (click the relevant date for a table of holiday dates) 
• The World: Jours-Feries.com or TimeandDate.com

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