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October 12: the National Party. A name that suggests that 'fiestagek' Spain will go completely crazy on that day. But nothing is less true. The National Party is a day that largely goes unnoticed. Yes, it is a day off and the shops are closed, but the average Spaniard hardly notices it. The reason is simple: the Spanish government is not sure what to do with this controversial holiday, which is 'celebrated' all over the Spanish-speaking world.
It all started as Columbus day. Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492. The arrival of the Italian globetrotter in Spanish service would change life on two continents (North and South America) drastically and forever. Besides prosperity, his arrival also brought the destruction and extermination of local cultures on a large scale.
The name Columbus turned out to be infected and so the Spanish government changed the name in 1981 to 'Day of the Spanish Speakers'. But that new name was not well received and only six years later, it was renamed the National Party. Enthusiasm also failed to materialize under that rather pretentious name. Large groups of Spaniards often even use the 'holiday' to demonstrate against something.
The last change came in 2000 when Armed Forces Day was added to October 12 as a National Holiday. However, an annual military parade in Madrid appears to be little more than a lightning rod for a potentially huge party that Spain never learned to celebrate.
