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Today is Monday. It’s not an official holiday here in Spain, but it feels like a holiday.
Why?
Schools are closed, stores and restaurants are closed, soccer is cancelled. Many people are traveling.
Friday was “Día de la Constitución” in Spain, but what is going on today?
In Spanish, they call it “la puente,” “the bridge.”
Spain just added an extra day to the holiday weekend to make it a “long weekend” (“fin de la
“A long weekend is a weekend that is at least three days long (i.e. a three-day weekend), due to a public or unofficial holiday occurring on either the following Monday or preceding Friday.”
Wikipedia
Are There Long ‘Bridge’ Weekends in Other Countries?
Spain isn’t the only country to take advantage of having an extra day added to their holiday weekends.
In French, they call it, “faire le pont” or “making the bridge.”
I can remember all the “long weekends” in France, especially with religious holidays. It always struck me, because statistics show that only 2.9% of the French population claims to be practicing Catholics. (World Atlas)
However, they love to “
“For example, if there is already an official holiday on Thursday, one could ‘faire le pont’ on the Friday and thus have a four-day weekend (Thursday through Sunday inclusive).”
Wikipedia
How Do You Say ‘Long Weekend’ in Other Languages?
In German, they call these “long weekends”—”Brückentag” (“Bridge Day”).
“In Norway, the term ‘oval weekend’ (‘oval helg’) is used. An ordinary weekend is conceived of as ‘round,’ and adding extra days off makes it ‘oval.’
In Indonesia, when a holiday occurs on a Tuesday or Thursday, the day between that day and the weekend is colloquially termed ‘Harpitnas‘ (‘National Sandwiched Day’), causing some institutions to declare a day off, or some students or employees unilaterally declaring a day off for themselves, thereby creating a long weekend.
In Chile, a ‘sandwich’ is a day that falls between two holidays, independently of whether it’s a holiday by itself or not. In the latter case, workers may take it off on account on vacation days, an action called ‘tomarse el sandwich’ (‘taking the sandwich’).”
Wikipedia
In English, we call them “long weekends” or “three-day weekends.”
What’s the Reason for ‘Long Weekends’?
Did you know that the “Uniform Monday Holidays Act,” signed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, officially moved federal government observances of many holidays to Mondays? This was mainly due to the travel industry. With longer weekends, more people could take advantage of getting away and traveling.
Ah! So, that’s the real reason for long weekends!
In any case, today, here in Spain, it’s Monday. It’s a day off for most of the people in the country. I don’t hear anyone complaining—certainly not in our house!
Another day to sleep in and relax at home, who wouldn’t want that?
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
Do you live in a country where they have “long weekends”? What do you call them in your language? What do you think about them?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
