Day of the Institutions 2025 in Spain

The Day of the Institutions of Cantabria celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the province of Cantabria on July 28, 1778. It is a public holiday in the autonomous community of Cantabria.

Is Day of the Institutions a Public Holiday?

This is an autonomous community public holiday. Schools, businesses, and government offices in the autonomous communities observing this holiday will be closed.

What Do People Do?

A range of events are held to mark the Day of the Institutions of Cantabria. These include sports competitions and communal meals. People also display the flag of the autonomous community of Cantabria on public buildings and private homes and as bunting at local celebrations.

Public Life

In some years, the Day of the Institutions of Cantabria is a public holiday in Cantabria (see table below for exceptions). When that is the case, public life is generally quiet. Most businesses and other organizations are closed. Most stores are closed, although some bakers and food stores may be open. Public transport services generally run to a reduced schedule, although there may be no services in rural areas.

Regional or local authorities may move the public holiday to a different date, particularly if July 28 falls on a Sunday. If July 28 falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many businesses and organizations are also closed on Monday, July 27, or Friday, July 29.

Background

Cantabria is a province and an autonomous community of Spain. It has borders with the Spanish autonomous communities of Asturias, the Basque Country and Castile and León. The province of Cantabria was constituted on July 28, 1778. Charles III of Spain ratified the constitution on November 22, 1779. The law establishing Cantabria as an autonomous community of Spain was approved on 30 December, 1981, and came into effect on January 11, 1982.

The Day of the Institutions of Cantabria honors the freedom of the people of the region to self-government. They celebrate their language, culture and history of Cantabria on the Day of Cantabria on the second Sunday of August.

Symbols

The flag of Cantabria is one-and-a-half times as wide as it is high. It consists of two equal horizontal bands. The upper band is white and the lower band is red. The coat of arms of Cantabria is in the center of the flag.

The coat of arms of Cantabria consists of a crown above a shield. The shield is divided into two horizontal bands. The upper band shows a ship, a broken chain, a castle and the heads of Saints Emeterius and Celedonius. They symbolize the conquest of Seville by Cantabrian marines in 1248. The lower band of the shield shows a geometric ornament known as a stele produced by the earliest inhabitants of the area that is now Cantabria.

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.