The Invention of the True Cross and Spain’s May Crosses mark early May with flower-decked crosses and the spring festival of Cruces de Mayo.
Verified data
In 2026, the dataset records Invention of the True Cross / May Crosses as a local holiday in 14 municipalities, accounting for 40,265 residents in the 2025 register. The most common date is 4 May 2026.
This comparison uses only the official working calendars incorporated into the dataset for each year.
Demographic profile
Age, citizenship, birthplace and average-age structure from the 2025 Annual Population Census.
49.5% / 50.5%
13.2%
65.6%
21.3%
6.6%
7.7%
44.9 years
Comparison with Spain and with the aggregate of the 2 regions where it is observed. 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 | Compared with its 2 regions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 0–14 | 13.2% | +0.3 pp | -0.5 pp |
| Aged 65+ | 21.3% | +0.5 pp | +1.9 pp |
| Foreign citizenship | 6.6% | -7.5 pp | -4.2 pp |
| Born outside Spain | 7.7% | -11.6 pp | -5.8 pp |
| Weighted mean age | 44.9 years | +0.3 years | +1.2 years |
The largest difference from Spain is in “Born outside Spain”: -11.6 pp.
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.
In early May, wooden crosses dressed with flowers, shawls and household ornaments appear in streets and squares across Andalusia and beyond. The popular Cruces de Mayo festival overlaps with the old liturgical Invention of the True Cross (3 May), which commemorated Saint Helena’s legendary finding of the Cross of Christ in Jerusalem around 326.
«Invention» here comes from Latin invenire, «to find». After the 1960 Roman calendar reform the feast lost rank in the universal liturgy, yet the neighbourhood custom thrived: competitions between districts, music and dancing around the cross, and a spring sociability that ethnographers link to older May rites later clothed in Christian form.
Andalusia’s intangible-heritage atlas treats Cruces de Mayo as a widespread festive type—playful and identity-forming more than strictly solemn. Cordoba and Granada are among the best-known urban expressions; many smaller towns keep their own floral styles.
In the 2026 Spanish labour calendar this label appears as a local holiday in a cluster of municipalities (chiefly Andalusian), most often around 4 May. It is not a national public holiday: it is a day off only where the town hall names it among its two annual local feasts.
Holy Cross / Cruces de Mayo
When
In 2026 it falls on Monday 4 May in most municipalities.
| Year | Main date | Municipalities |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday, 4 May | 14 |
Where it's a holiday
Its local holiday in 2026, by region. Each municipality links to its annual record and the available official source.
Together, they account for 40,265 residents in the INE municipal register at 1 January 2025.
FAQ
In 2026, Invention of the True Cross / May Crosses is mainly celebrated on 4 May 2026 (Monday). Some municipalities move it to another date on the working calendar.
It's a local holiday in 14 municipalities in 2026, accounting for 40,265 residents in the 2025 register; mostly in Andalucía (13 municipalities).
No. Invention of the True Cross / May Crosses is a local-level holiday: it's only a non-working day in the municipalities that set it as their local festival; each keeps its official source.
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.