Warmest congratulations to the owners of ski resorts, domestic and foreign, to the airlines, to the hotel sector in general and to businesses of all kinds in high mountain areas, because with the preliminary data available so far, which is not yet final, the macro-bank holiday in December, which lasted from Saturday 3rd to Sunday 11th, has been a great success. The roads jammed with vehicles on Friday 2nd and this Sunday just past attest to that.
But we will agree that, beyond those who have had a major windfall out of season, and all those who have benefited from it in one way or another, because most have had at least a day or two off during the week, the coincidence of two public holidays — Spain's Constitution Day on Tuesday and the Day of the Immaculate Conception on Thursday — in the same week, shortly before the Christmas holidays, is an act of frivolity unbecoming of a serious country.
And this is how it has been since 1983 - although the Constitution was passed in 1978, it wasn't until five years later, with Felipe González in government, that December 6th was declared a public holiday - that is, 39 years ago. In this time only on one occasion did Mariano Rajoy try to alter the situation he inherited and make December 8th an optional working day. Only the employers supported him, and both the unions and the church bared their teeth just enough for him to take a step back. Rajoy, so disinterested in introducing thorny subjects, quickly understood that on this matter like many others, it was not worth altering the status quo he had inherited from Felipe, Aznar and Zapatero, and that if it had been okay with them, it was fine with him. At the end of the day, no one would have thanked him.
After Rajoy, it should be noted that Pedro Sánchez hasn't even tried. How can it be that such an anomalous circumstance, which is enormously damaging to Spain and which gives such a poor image abroad, has not been corrected? Well, very simply, it's that no one wants to risk losing votes and, on this subject, politicians have sensed that they have more to lose than to gain and, therefore, it's best to tread softly.
There could be solutions, of course. Such as following the path of countries like the United States, which move to Monday or Friday the feasts which, by their very nature, can be moveable. Beyond the festivity of the Inmaculada, despite the Spanish Catholic tradition, the day has very few arguments to maintain its public holiday status. But I am very much afraid that the present situation of super bank holidays or weekends so long that they last a week will remain like this for a long time. Even though it's an absolute nonsense.