National Day of Spain

It symbolizes Spain's vast, common heritage with today's American countries, which made up the Spanish Empire, the first global power in world history.

The distant origin of the holiday is to be found in the Roman Catholic tradition of the Virgin Mary's apparition "in flesh and blood" in Caesaraugusta (Zaragoza's name under the Roman Empire) to Apostle Saint James the Greater in AD 40 where a temple was built by the river Ebro, the first in the world dedicated to the cult of Saint Mary.

[3] On 23 September 1892 the queen regent of Spain, Maria Christina of Austria, promulgated a Royal Decree in San Sebastián, as proposed by the Prime Minister, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, declaring 12 October 1892 a national day in commemoration of the 4th centenary of the discovery of America.

[3][13] The preamble of that decree states the government had "considered appropriate to explore the position of all the American countries and Italy, as homeland of Columbus, to see if, by joint agreement, that commemoration could be vested with greater importance.

(...) One second of January, feast of the Coming of the Virgin Mary in mortal flesh to Zaragoza, Granada surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs; Isabel and Ferdinand could dedicate time and thought to the enterprise proposed to them by the great navigator ; on a twelfth of October, feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, the three immortal caravels arrived at the first American lands.

(...) If the architecture of the cathedral is completed and culminated with money from overseas, the symbolic value of the Holy Metropolitan Temple as Sanctuary of Hispanicity will have been totally affirmed.from the original: «Si, en efecto, de la América Hispana viene el dinero, esas dos torres serán un símbolo envidiable de hispanidad, levantado en la capital del reino que anticipó el dinero para el descubrimiento del Nuevo Mundo.

[23][3][13][24][25] Officially commemorated until 1987, Dia de la Hispanidad has continued to be spontaneously celebrated by Spanish people with both a cultural and a religious dimension.

The celebration traditionally includes a parade of the Spanish Armed Forces (military) and the State Security Forces (law enforcement), usually held in Madrid, attended by high institutional and political representatives including the King of Spain, head of state and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, together with the Royal Family, the Prime Minister, the Presidents of the Cortes Generales and faction leaders of its chambers, and the President of the Supreme Court and General Council of the Judiciary, members of the cabinet, deputies and senators of the Cortes and other representatives of the central government and the governments of the autonomous communities of the state.

Political and institutional delegations from other guest countries, including military forces participating in the parade, also attend the event.

The parade expresses the commitment of the Armed and the State Security forces to society and their contribution to the wider international community.

Then, tribute is paid to the soldiers who gave their lives for Spain which is followed by a civil-military parade with mobile column and flypast segment, which usually includes a display by the Spanish Air and Space Force's aerobatics team, the Patrulla Águila.

At 9 am the Guardia Real's Honours Battalion forms up at the front of the royal dais where members of the Cabinet, deputies and senators of the Cortes, federal and regional government representatives, military attaches and veterans are assembled.

As the music stops, the royal party takes its leave of the guard and proceeds to the dais to meet other representatives of the federal government and regional leaders.

[27] People dressed in traditional regional or historic costumes as well as folk, classical and modern music concerts and street shows are unavoidable features of the celebrations.

Spanish American communities in Spain also participate in parades, displaying their national colors and their countries' typical garments marching along to the sound of their respective upbeat folk tunes.

Since the religious feast day coincides with the discovery of the Americas (12 October 1492), Pope John Paul II praised El Pilar as "Mother of the Hispanic Peoples" during both his visits to the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar.

[28][29] 12 October, also popularly known in Spain as "Día del Pilar" (Day of the Pillar), attracts many people from other Spanish regions to Zaragoza, where the traditional "Ofrenda de flores a la Virgen" (Offering of flowers to the Virgin Mary), a massive parade with broad social participation, including from Hispanic American communities, takes place all day long.

This, together with the fact that many Spanish explorers came from Extremadura, and the utmost popularity of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Castile, are the reason behind the spread of the worship throughout America and her canonical coronation as Queen of Hispanicity.