The Spanish love of férias, or festivities, is well known, but those who are familiar with the country will also recognise the local penchant for puentes – or the habit of ‘building bridges’ by extending public holidays into long weekends.
Some crafty characters even manage to create four or five-day weekends by taking off days in between national holidays and weekends, thus creating mini vacations in mid season.
Now you’d think that all public celebrations in December would automatically be related to Christmas, especially in a traditionally religious country like Spain, but in actual fact the holiday celebrated on 6 December – another popular opportunity for a puente – has nothing to do with the Festive Season that begins to warm up immediately afterwards.
Known as the Día de la Constitución, this public holiday celebrates the Spanish constitution of 1978, and the nation-wide referendum through which the public gave its blessing to a new democratic regime. In most European countries the commemorating of the national constitution would not be quite as important an event, as it would tend to focus on an event that happened quite a long time ago, but in Spain it has special significance because of its modern political history.
It was as late as 1975, with the death of Franco, that an authoritarian regime spanning almost 40 years, but in reality many centuries back, came to an end. The period immediately afterwards was one of flux and uncertainty, but instability and public discord was avoided and a moderate, modern constitution drafted that was based on the principles of a parliamentary democracy and gave not only recognition to Spain’s distinct regions, but also a federal system with a great level of local autonomy.
As a result, Spain now has one of the more lofty constitutions of any country in Europe. With an expensive but admirable structure of national and regional governments, and a system of governance that while just as far from perfect as that of most countries can at least look back on a remarkably successful transition from dictatorship and political extremism to a peaceful and stable democracy. Modern Spain is also a mature member of the European Union and part of the international community as a whole.
Spain has earned its place among the most advanced nations of the world, and so it is with special meaning and affection that the Día de la Constitución commemorates what people in most parts of Europe take for granted. For millions of fun-loving Spaniards, not averse to a day off, it also means an opportunity to spend time with family and friends, hit the city for shopping and café society or head out into the countryside with this lovely weather!