National Day is a public holiday in the Principality of Andorra, and it is observed on September 8 each year. The holiday is in honor of Our Lady of Meritxell, the patron saint of Andorra.
The Principality of Andorra is a sovereign landlocked microstate on the Iberian Peninsula between France and Spain. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, with a population of approximately 77,000.
Our Lady of Meritxell is a Roman Catholic statue showing the Virgin Mary. According to the legend, in the 12th century, villagers from Meritxell found a wild rose in bloom out of season and found a statue under the rose. Villagers sent the statue to the church, but people found the statue was under the same rose the next day. When villagers sent the statue back to another church, they found it appeared under the rose again the next day.
Villagers then built a new chapel for the statue in the town. However, the chapel was burned down, and the statue was destroyed in September 1972. In 1976, the current Meritxell chapel was rebuilt with a new Lady of Meritxell.
The following is the list of National Day in the Principality of Andorra from 2022 to 2026.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| National Day | Sep 08, 2022 | Thursday |
| National Day | Sep 08, 2023 | Friday |
| National Day | Sep 08, 2024 | Sunday |
| National Day | Sep 08, 2025 | Monday |
| National Day | Sep 08, 2026 | Tuesday |
Please check more public holidays in the Principality of Andorra: