Celebrating El Dia de la Hispanidad with a holiday and parade

TODAY (Thursday) is a national holiday in Spain as it is said to be the day that Christopher Columbus first set foot on the America.

A special parade will held in la Plaza de Colon, in Madrid, led by the Spanish military attended by the King and the Royal Family.  Foreign diplomats and the presidents of the autonomous governments are invited to attend this parade although for obvious reasons, some may not attend.

The King views the raising of the Spanish national flag in the centre of Madrid and he and the prime minister plus the other invited guests view a march past of Spain’s military units and various military vehicles

The air force performs aerobatics above the parade route and display yellow and red smoke to represent the Spanish flag and all of this is covered nationally on TV and through the internet.

Promoted as National Day, it has come at a time when the Spanish nation is being defied by the government in Cataluña and there are bitter divisions throughout the country.

In Spain, it is also the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar, the patroness of Spain’s Guardia Civil and in Valencia and Zaragoza the celebrations take a different turn with the Offering of the Flowers to the Virgin Mary.