Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is celebrated every 8 December: a Marian solemnity that opens December's festive stretch in Spain.
National holiday
8 December 2026
49,114,494
Verified data
Immaculate Conception in the working calendar
In 2026, Immaculate Conception is recorded as a national holiday on 8 December 2026. The calendars included in the dataset apply it in 19 regions and autonomous cities, covering 49,114,494 residents in the 2025 register.
This comparison uses only the official working calendars incorporated into the dataset for each year.
| Year | Main date | Where recorded | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 December 2024, 7 December 2024 and 9 December 2024 | a local holiday in Castilla y León (1 municipalities), Comunidad de Madrid (1 municipalities) and Comunidad Foral de Navarra (1 municipalities) | 389 |
| 2025 | 8 December 2025 | 19 regions and autonomous cities | 49,114,494 |
| 2026 | 8 December 2026 | 19 regions and autonomous cities | 49,114,494 |
Demographic profile
Demographics of the covered population
Age, citizenship, birthplace and average-age structure from the 2025 Annual Population Census.
51% / 49%
12.9%
66.4%
20.7%
14.1%
19.3%
44.6 years
How it differs from its surroundings
Comparison with Spain. All five comparisons are population-weighted and use only the 2025 Annual Census. A positive sign means the covered population has a higher value than the benchmark.
| Demographic profile | Covered population | Compared with Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0–14 | 12.9% | 0 pp |
| Aged 65+ | 20.7% | 0 pp |
| Foreign citizenship | 14.1% | 0 pp |
| Born outside Spain | 19.3% | 0 pp |
| Weighted mean age | 44.6 years | 0 years |
The covered population matches Spain overall on these indicators.
Sex comes from the 2025 municipal register; all other metrics come from the 2025 Annual Census. Each percentage uses the total from its own statistical operation. INE municipal tables 68535 and 68541.
What is Immaculate Conception
8 December is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: the Catholic belief that Mary was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her existence. The dogma was proclaimed in 1854, but the feast and the dedication already had a long tradition in Spain.
Spain keeps a special historical link with this dedication. Universities, brotherhoods and cities adopted her as patron; the Hispanic monarchy promoted her cult, and the blue and white associated with the Immaculate Conception appear in altarpieces, processions and emblems. In many schools and parishes the day is still marked by Masses and school events.
On December's calendar the Immaculate Conception often opens the bridge before Christmas, especially when it falls near a weekend or Constitution Day. It is a quieter day than Christmas Eve: Advent preparation, shopping and, in some areas, the first lights or nativity scenes.
As a fixed-date solemnity it keeps its liturgical meaning regardless of working long weekends. It closes the autumn stretch of the Marian calendar and anticipates the Nativity feasts that arrive two weeks later.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Other holidays
Per-municipality data with its official source (regional gazette). Every date is verifiable on the municipality page. Data from festivos.io — CC BY 4.0.