In Spain, Father’s Day, known as Día del Padre, is celebrated on March 19.
March 19 is the feast day of Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary and the legal father of Jesus in Christian tradition. Because Saint Joseph is regarded as a model father, the religious feast became the basis for Spain’s Father’s Day observance.
The Spanish celebration was promoted in the twentieth century by Manuela Vicente Ferrero, a teacher who organized an event honoring fathers at a school in Madrid. Commercial promotion later helped spread the practice more widely throughout Spain.
March 19 is also celebrated as Saint Joseph’s Day in several other Catholic countries, so it should not be confused with the Sunday-based observance common in English-speaking countries. In Spain, the date remains fixed rather than moving according to the week.