Assumption

Today, Catholics and many other Christians will celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The significant feast day recalls the spiritual and physical departure of the mother of Jesus Christ from the earth, when both her soul and her body were taken into the presence of God.

So of course, here it is a national holiday.

One year soon after we first arrived we drove to a shopping centre towards Barcelona for a morning out and to do a bit of shopping. On arrival we noticed that the weren't many cars in the car park, but thought little of it. Then we tried the doors to the centre and they were locked. We had no idea that 15th August was a holiday, and had had a wasted journey.