Celebrating our diversity! Spain!




Celebrating our diversity! Spain!
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National Days

Spanish flagIn our continued celebration of the diversity of our student body, today we commemorate the National Day of Spain or Fiesta Nacional de Espana which falls on the 12th October.

On October 12th 1492, it is cited that Christopher Columbus first stepped onto American shores, assuring Spain’s overseas projection and legacy to the world. The Spanish Empire was one of the greatest in the world which, in America, lasted until the Spanish - American war in 1898.

October 12th is also the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, the patron saint of Zaragoza, Spain.

The day is a national holiday in Spain, and is celebrated with a military parade and raising of the flag by the King and the Prime Minister.

The National Day of Spain is also the official festivity in most of Hispanic America, celebrating the historical and cultural ties between them and Spain.

Did you know?

  • Spain is the only European country to have a physical border with an African country.
  • Spain was the world’s first global empire - pioneering their way across North, Central and South America, as well as the Philippines for over 300 years.
  • Spanish is the world’s second most spoken native language. 21 nations speak Spanish daily.
  • Eating grapes, 12 to be exact, is the traditional way of celebrating New Year. If you eat a grape on each stroke of midnight, it is said to bring good luck for the rest of the year.
  • The national anthem, Marcha Real, is one of the world’s oldest. It was written in 1761 and has no words.
  • The first known stapler came from Spain in the 18th century.