Fiesta Nacional de España 2024

Puente del Pilar - Fiesta Nacional de España
Public holiday in Spain - 'Día de la Hispanidad'

Event date: 
Saturday 12th October 2024

Event location:
All Spain

Information:
Fiesta Nacional de España. National Day of Spain - Public holiday in all Spain. 'Nuestra Señora del Pilar' - 'our Lady of the Pillar' is the patroness Virgin of Spain and of the Hispanic peoples and of the Civil Guard of Spain.

Saint James is the patron saint of Spain and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Pilar appeared on a pillar to the Apostle James as he was praying by the banks of the Ebro at Caesaraugusta, the Roman name for present day Zaragoza, Spain, in AD 40 in the early days of the Christian church.

The celebrated wooden image of Pilar is enshrined at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza.

This public holiday is also called 'La Fiesta Nacional de España' and previously celebrated as 'Día de la Hispanidad.' In Catalan this public holiday is called 'Festa Nacional d'Espanya.' Shops are allowed to be open today in Catalonia but otherwise there are no special celebrations in Barcelona.

It is also often referred to as 'el puente del Pilar.' It is common in Barcelona and Spain is to take the day off that comes in between a public holiday (dia festivo) and the weekend.

This means that if the public/bank holiday is on a Tuesday or a Thursday you can have a 4 day weekend.

In Spain this is called 'hacer puente' in Spanish which means 'to make a bridge.

The 12th October is also celebrated in many countries as 'Columbus Day' to mark the anniversary of the arrival on 12 October 1492 of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

Columbus monument Barcelona
Public holidays Barcelona & Spain
Wikipedia page Columbus Day

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