The día de la Hispanidad, or National Day of Spain, is a celebration that commemorates and recognizes “lo español” or that which is Spanish, referring to culture, language and geographic and economic importance. This holiday is one of the most important festivals in the Spanish state, as the country showcases their identity, traditions, customs and their profound love for Spain. Today in this article from ShBarcelona, we will discuss the día de la Hispanidad so you can get to know this patriotic celebration.
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Día de la Hispanidad, celebrating Spanish pride
Photo by Contando Estrelas via VisualHunt
Nearly every country has their own festival where people can celebrate their pride for their country as well as celebrates their country’s identity. Patriotism is an inherent part of many societies and, socially speaking, a natural and healthy aspect of life. In Spain, the día de la Hispanidad is on October 12, where citizens celebrate their rich language, history and evolution as a society and what it means to be Spanish. On the día de la Hispanidad, the country recognizes the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492, which led to the colonization of the newly encountered territories. On this holiday, lines of armed forces assemble in Madrid and are visited by the king, the royal family, the president, representatives of the State and representatives of the autonomous regions.
Due to the Spanish territorial division and each autonomous region’s own idiosyncrasies, some with languages and histories of great transcendence, Spanish patriotism is not as deeply rooted as in other countries. This is the case right now in Catalonia, as some institutions have declined to celebrate this holiday and instead open their doors and work as if it is a normal day. Other sectors of society, on the other hand, take full advantage of the day to recognize the Spanish state and their love for their culture and traditions. As it is, the día de la Hispanidad is a special day for Spaniards, in which they claim their Spanish patriotism, culture, traditions and contributions as a society to global evolution and advancement.
Related article: Biggest celebrations in Barcelona
Photo via Pixabay
The majority of the celebrations on this day take place in Madrid, the capital of Spain, while in Barcelona there are mainly smaller events. As a national festival day, as we have commented before, the majority of events and activities take place in the capital, as is logical to treat a national festival. You will see how the day passes fairly normally in Barcelona, although you can find businesses and certain restaurants are closed for the day.
*Main photo by Oscar in the middle via VisualHunt
Have you attended any of the events that take place on this day in the Spanish capital?
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