‘Semana Blanca’ and ‘dia de Andalucia’ (white week and Andalusia day), are a school holiday week in Málaga and a regional holiday in Andalucia.

Semana Blanca

During ‘Semana Blanca’ the majority of the schools are closed for a week to ‘catch up’ with the number of  the number of school days off for public holidays, compared to the rest of Spain.

Every province or region in Spain has their own traditions and festivities for which schools are closed.  Some places have a few less public holidays than others, so to be fair to students in Málaga, they give extra time off in ‘la Semana Blanca’ to balance things out.

Why is it called Semana Blanca?

There are some advantages to getting older. Aching joints might not be one of them, however if you are retired or over 65 and live in Andalucia, apart from probably having less achy joints, you also qualify for useful discount schemes for retirees.

Tarjeta Sesenta y Cinco Discount Scheme for Retirees

The ‘Tarjeta Sesenta y Cinco’ is a card for over 65’s as part of a scheme run by the Junta de Andalucia.  It´s free and enables those eligible to easily access direct benefits and social services as well as discounts, grants and access to various senior resident programs. For example: