DÍA DE LA HISPANIDAD

Every October 12^th, in Spain, we celebrate the “Día de la Hispanidad” to remember the date in which Christopher Columbus arrived in America, in 1492.

That day, there are many large-scale military parades in lots of Spanish cities but the most popular is the one that is shown in Madrid.

This date is an official holiday and schools are not open in any city or village in Spain.

For Spanish people, the year 1992 was important because:

-         It was the 500^th anniversary of the day Columbus discovered America

-         The Olympic Games were celebrated in Barcelona (Spain).

-         The Universal Exhibition was in Seville.

American people also celebrate the moment in which Columbus discovered America but the date is not always the same: it is the second Monday of October and it is called “Columbus Day”. But some States don´t celebrate “Columbus Day” in America: Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and South Dakota don’t recognize that day.

In Boston, there were parades too, but not as big and famous as in Spain. I remember one day that my mom and I were coming out of the grocery store and we saw a small parade. And, there, in Boston, the schools were closed too.

But I could see that in U.S.A. they celebrate more “Thanksgiving Day” (learn more about it in next post!) than “Columbus Day”.

Images: www.elpais.com / www.abc.es / www.bostonglobe.com / www.washingtonpost.com