Ascension day in Spain, Seville

We Dutch people know Ascension day as a long weekend and a holiday. But here in Spain, it's a little different. But how?

An immediate answer is therefore difficult to find out. Ascension  day is indeed the day that Jesus Christ was ascended by God. His father in heaven always falls on Thursday. Exactly ten days before Pentecost. And also 39 days after Easter, also called the week of Semana Santa here in Spain and especially in Seville.

In Seville,  Jesus Christ ascension is a lot less important than the story of Maria's immaculate conception. In many Catholic churches in Spain, the worship of Maria is many times greater than the worship of Jesus Christ. Of course, they know many holidays in Spain for faith. But Ascension day and Pentecost no longer fit in here. So these are no days off for Spanisch people.

But why is it that here in Spain they care more about this 'immaculate conception'? Maria was born on September 8th. Maria was received with an immaculate soul in the womb of her mother, in the tradition also called Santa Ana according to the Spaniards. Here in Seville, the church Santa Ana was once built. This is located in Triana and is built for Maria's mother, Santa Ana.

Maria's immaculate conception is a dogma within the Catholic faith. This was not established as a dogma until 8 December 1854. But here in Seville they believed in this dogma much longer ago and therefore care more about the ´ascension day of Maria´. This is therefore celebrated on December 8 and not at the same time as the Ascension Day of Jesus Christ. As a result, there are no special occasions in the cathedral for Ascension Day.

There is also the possibility to ask questions about this during the Daily Tour! One of our guides will be able to inform you more about that.