One of the most significant días festivos in Spain – in fact a national holiday – appears to be of little importance to the Spaniards where I live in Andalucía.
As I write this at 19.30 on the day itself in my local bar, there is nobody about!
I’ve spoken to a few of my Spanish neighbours, and today is not important for them. They’re just glad to have a day off!
Why is it not important?
Día de la Constitución
Today is a celebration of Spain emerging from the Franco dictatorship and becoming a fully-fledged democratic country for the first time since 1936, more than 80 years ago!
But here I sit, in my local and there’s nobody about!
***
Wait! It’s 19.40 and a bunch of Spanish hotel guests have just arrived in the bar.
I’ve just spent 20 minutes talking to them. They’re from Merida in Extremadura, my second-favourite region in Spain, and they understand the significance of today. BTW, there are 40 of them from a walking group (senderistas).
For me, as a foreigner, who has experienced Spain since Franco, the golpe de estado in 1980, the economic crash in 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic, and the current resurgence of the Spanish economy, I think that today is a very important day in the modern history of Spain.
But, that’s just me!
The locals seem only to be interested in a day off!
© The Travel Guru
Links:
Fortieth anniversary of Spain's failed coup - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Journey to the hard extreme - Extremadura - Part 1
Extremadura – Journey to the hard extreme – Part 2 - 2021
Acknowledgements:
RTVE
Sitios de España
Tags:
Andalucía, Covid-19 pandemic, Día de la Constitución, día festivo, economic crash, Extremadura, foreigner, Franco dictatorship, golpe de estado in 1980, Merida, national holiday, RTVE, resurgence of the Spanish economy, Sitios de España, Travel Guru