The 12th October is a national holiday here in Spain, commemorating when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas. It is also known as Spain’s national day.
October 12th is also Spain’s Day of the Armed Forces which is celebrated with a military parade in Madrid.
The king of Spain raises the Spanish national flag in the centre of Madrid, then the king and the prime minister lead a military parade through the centre of Madrid. This will be the first year for Spain’s new king Felipe. The parade includes representatives from most of Spain’s military units and various military vehicles as well as aerodynamic displays from Spain’s air force.
Locally, here in Manilva, not a lot happens, most shops and businesses are closed and everyone gets a day off. As this year’s holiday falls on a Sunday, here in Andalucia, the holiday passes onto the Monday. However, this is not the case throughout the whole of Spain – it’s not a holiday in Madrid for example.