Dia de la Hispanidad - October 12

All throughout Spain today there are various celebrations, some very festive (coinciding with the Pilar in Zaragoza) and some very somber, like the remembrance of the fallen soldiers in Madrid. It is a day for the Spanish to remember their glorious and not-so-glorious past, and a day for all who enjoy this great mixing pot of cultures to join in the celebration. Even with the rain throughout the peninsula it is a day for flower offerings and a military parade in Columbus Square in Madrid. The day, chosen to remember Columbus' arrival in the New World, was popularly called Columbus Day until 1957.