Our Lady of Sorrows — Mater Dolorosa — is a liturgical memorial on 15 September, the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In several Spanish towns the title is also a local patron, and the labour holiday may fall on other September dates by local agreement.
Verified data
In 2026, the dataset records Our Lady of Sorrows as a local holiday in 6 municipalities, accounting for 20,536 residents in the 2025 register. The most common date is 9 September 2026. 4 municipalities set it on another date.
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.
50.5% / 49.5%
13.3%
65.3%
21.5%
14%
15.9%
44.9 years
Comparison with Spain and with the aggregate of the 4 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 4 regions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 0–14 | 13.3% | +0.4 pp | +0.1 pp |
| Aged 65+ | 21.5% | +0.7 pp | +1.3 pp |
| Foreign citizenship | 14% | -0.1 pp | -3.3 pp |
| Born outside Spain | 15.9% | -3.4 pp | -6.4 pp |
| Weighted mean age | 44.9 years | +0.4 years | +0.8 years |
The largest difference from Spain is in “Born outside Spain”: -3.4 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.
Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother spread especially around the Mediterranean from the later Middle Ages. The Servites promoted the cult of the Seven Sorrows; Pius VII extended the feast to the whole Latin Church in 1814, and Pius X fixed the definitive date on 15 September (1913), next to the feast of the Cross.
It should not be wholly confused with Friday of Sorrows (the Friday before Palm Sunday), a popular Holy Week observance. The September memorial contemplates Mary united to her Son’s Passion; the Stabat Mater is the hymn most closely tied to this title.
On the labour calendar the name groups local patronal feasts — for example in Dolores (Alicante), Benissanó, Hervás or Ribera del Fresno — whose civil date may shift to fit the festival programme. 15 September remains the shared liturgical reference; each municipality sets the non-working day.
Our Lady of Sorrows, Mary at the foot of the cross.
When
In 2026 it falls on Wednesday 9 September in most municipalities. 4 move it to another date (when it lands on a weekend or by local agreement).
| Year | Main date | Municipalities |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Monday, 5 August | 1 |
| 2025 | Monday, 15 September | 3 |
| 2026 | Wednesday, 9 September | 6 |
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 20,536 residents in the INE municipal register at 1 January 2025.
Extremadura2
Castilla-La Mancha1
Cataluña1
FAQ
In 2026, Our Lady of Sorrows is mainly celebrated on 9 September 2026 (Wednesday). Some municipalities move it to another date on the working calendar.
It's a local holiday in 6 municipalities in 2026, accounting for 20,536 residents in the 2025 register; mostly in Comunitat Valenciana (2 municipalities).
No. Our Lady of Sorrows 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.