On 28 December the Church remembers the Holy Innocents — the children of Bethlehem in Matthew’s account. In Spain and Spanish America the same date is also the day of inocentadas: pranks, spoof news and the cry “¡Inocente, inocente!”
Verified data
In 2026, the dataset records Holy Innocents as a local holiday in 6 municipalities, accounting for 11,337 residents in the 2025 register. The most common date is 28 December 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.
49.8% / 50.2%
14%
66.5%
19.4%
13%
17%
43.6 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 | 14% | +1.1 pp | +0.8 pp |
| Aged 65+ | 19.4% | -1.3 pp | -0.7 pp |
| Foreign citizenship | 13% | -1.1 pp | +0.4 pp |
| Born outside Spain | 17% | -2.2 pp | -0.6 pp |
| Weighted mean age | 43.6 years | -0.9 years | -0.5 years |
The largest difference from Spain is in “Born outside Spain”: -2.2 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.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod ordered the killing of Bethlehem’s children under two to eliminate the newborn Messiah. The Latin liturgy commemorates them on 28 December, within the Christmas octave, as the first martyrs. The origin is sombre; today’s popular tone is different.
Inocentadas — pinning a paper cut-out to someone’s back, borrowing money that will not be repaid, publishing humorous hoaxes in the press — echo the old end-of-December Feasts of Fools and role reversals. The classic punchline is “¡Inocente, inocente!” In Catalonia the paper-figure prank is called a llufa.
As a local labour holiday in 2026 it falls on 28 December in municipalities such as Orusco de Tajuña, Quijorna, Puebla de Don Fadrique, Juarros de Voltoya and Arguedas. Elsewhere in Spain the date is lived mainly as a cultural tradition, not as a general day off.
Holy Innocents, the first martyrs in Christian tradition.
When
In 2026 it falls on Monday 28 December in most municipalities.
| Year | Main date | Municipalities |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday, 29 December | 1 |
| 2026 | Monday, 28 December | 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 11,337 residents in the INE municipal register at 1 January 2025.
Andalucía2
Comunidad de Madrid2
Castilla y León1
Comunidad Foral de Navarra1
FAQ
In 2026, Holy Innocents is mainly celebrated on 28 December 2026 (Monday). Some municipalities move it to another date on the working calendar.
It's a local holiday in 6 municipalities in 2026, accounting for 11,337 residents in the 2025 register; mostly in Andalucía (2 municipalities).
No. Holy Innocents 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.