Hispanic Day in Spain
Hispanic Day (Día de la
Hispanidad) or National Day (Fiesta Nacional de España) is an annual national
public holiday in Spain on October 12. It commemorates when Christopher
Columbus first set foot in the Americas in 1492.
Is Hispanic Day a Public
Holiday?
Hispanic Day is a public holiday.
It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are
closed. In 2019 it falls on a Saturday. Due to this, some businesses may choose
to follow Saturday opening hours.
Celebrate Hispanic Day
The king of Spain supervises the
raising of the Spanish national flag in the center of Madrid on Hispanic Day.
He and the prime minister lead a military parade after that. The parade
includes representatives from most of Spain's military units and various
military vehicles. Armed forces' planes perform aerobatics above the parade route
and display yellow and red smoke to represent the Spanish flag. Radio,
television and Internet news services broadcast live on these events. Hispanic
Day is a day off work and an opportunity to spend time quietly at home or in
the company of family members and close friends. People in the Aragon region in
the north-east of Spain also commemorate Our Lady of the Pillar, their patron
saint, on October 12.
Public Life
Hispanic Day is a national public
holiday in Spain on October 12. Public life is generally quiet and many
businesses and other organizations are closed. Many stores are closed but some
bakers and food stores may be open. Public transport services generally run to
a reduced schedule, although there may be no services in rural areas. If
October 12 falls on a Sunday, regional or local authorities can move the public
holiday to a different date. If October 12 falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many
businesses and organizations are also closed on Monday, October 11, or Friday,
October 13. Some people may use the long weekend to take a short vacation in
Spain or abroad during these years.
About Hispanic Day
According to the Julian calendar,
Christopher Columbus set sail from the port of Palos de la Frontera in
South-West Spain on August 3, 1492. He landed on a island that is now part of
the Bahamas in the Caribbean on October 12, 1492.The anniversary of this date
is marked as Hispanic Day in Spain. Events similar to Hispanic Day to mark the
anniversary of the date Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas are
also held in other countries. October 12 is known as Discovery Day in the
Bahamas, Day of the Cultures in Costa Rica, Day of the Race in Argentina, Chile
and Mexico and the Day of Indigenous Resistance in Venezuela. The second Monday
of October is Columbus Day in the United States.
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