In June 2026, following a proposal by the Deputy Lehendakari and Minister of Economy, Labour, and Employment, Mikel Torres, the holiday previously observed on March 19th (Saint Joseph's Day) has been moved to October 7th, a date commemorating the establishment of the first Basque Government.
The origin of the new October 7th holiday dates back to the constitution of the first Basque Government in the Casa de Juntas in Gernika in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War.
That Executive laid the foundations for institutions that remain in place today, such as the Ertzaintza and Osakidetza.
The commemoration holds particular significance in Vitoria-Gasteiz, which was the first Basque city captured by the rebels, meaning the first Government never fully exercised its authority there.
It was also in Vitoria that the only minister of that Government executed during the war, Alfredo Espinosa Orive, was shot by Francoist forces in 1937.
