National Day of SpainOctober 12th

Maria Breen

National Day of Spain / Día de la Raza

Maria Breen

National Day of Spain / Día de la Raza12th October is a national holiday in Spain. It is also a Saint Day for anyone called Pilar (many Spaniards, especially the older generations, celebrate their saint day more than their birthday). Pilar is the Patron Saint of Zaragoza.

Zaragoza is located in north east Spain. The city has a population of 701,090.

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Madrid is the capital city.

National Day of Spain / Día de la RazaA very influential man called Faustino Rodriguez San Pedro wanted to celebrate the Spanish race. In 1913, he was the Chairman of an organisation called the Iberoamerican Union.

The 12th of October was already being celebrated in some South American countries and in Zaragoza (in honour of St. Pilar). Faustino Rodriguez San Pedro wanted the day to be celebrated in Spain and South America and to call it Fiesta de la Raza (Festival of the Race, i.e. the Spanish race). So in 1918, Spain and some American countries started calling their national day Fiesta de la Raza!

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National Day of Spain / Día de la RazaDid you know that Día de la Raza is also known as Columbus Day because it marks the day that he arrived in America. (12th October 1492). The day incorporates celebrating the Spanish race.

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National Day of Spain / Día de la Raza

Celebrating Spanish culture

Here is a picture of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of the Spanish royal family.

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National Day of Spain / Día de la Raza

Celebrating Spanish cultureFootball is very popular in Spain. In this picture,

Fernando Torres is holding the World Cup which they won in 2010.

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National Day of Spain / Día de la Raza

Celebrating Spanish culture

Spanish food (tapas) is very tasty. Spaniards eat a lot of tortillas (omelettes), pork (chorizo and morcilla) and cheeses.

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National Day of Spain / Día de la Raza

Celebrating Spanish cultureThis is the picture of

suerte de capote ("act of the cape"), which is the start of a bullfight.

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National Day of Spain / Día de la RazaCelebrating Spanish culture

The currency in Spain is the Euro

Spain’s population is around 45 million.

Spain produces 44% of all the earth’s olive oil.

Madrid is Spain’s capital city and it is located directly in the centre of the country.

Some popular and well known artists have come from Spain like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Joan Miro.

The tooth fairy is not recognized in Spain. Instead, they have a tooth mouse named Ratoncito Perez!

Flamenco is the musical genre in Spain that uses rapid passages and intricate footwork.

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National Day of Spain / Día de la Raza1. When is the National Day of Spain?2. What part of Spain is Zaragoza located?3. Who is the patron saint of Zaragoza?4. Name the Chairman of the Iberoamerican Union.5. Name the current Queen of Spain.

(You will find the answers to these questions back in the

presentation).

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Referenceswww.euroresidentes.comhttp://funfacter.hubpages.com/hub/Fun-Facts-about-

Spainhttp://gospain.about.com/od/bullfightinginspain/a/

bullfightingspa.htmwww.mlpsi.ie

Maria Breen