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Tomorrow, December 6, is a national holiday here in Spain. It has a big name—Día de la Constitucíon.
It sounds big. The name sounds important.
It’s important enough for schools to be closed, workplaces to be closed, stores to be closed, and soccer to be cancelled.
For soccer to be cancelled, it has to be really important!
Interesting that few people, when asked, could tell us about their holiday—what it is, why they celebrate, and what they do special on that day.
When we asked our Spanish teacher today why our class was cancelled tomorrow, she told us that it was a holiday.
“Día de la Constitucíon?” we asked.
What is This Spanish Holiday?
When we inquired about the holiday and asked what it was, she shrugged her shoulders and acted as if she didn’t really know the meaning behind her nation’s holiday . . . or didn’t care. Or, perhaps she couldn’t begin to explain it in Spanish—at our level.
We went on to ask her what the Spaniards do to celebrate this national holiday.
“Do you eat together? Visit your family? Are there fireworks? Do you sleep?” we asked her in our broken Spanish.
“Nada,” she answered. (“Nothing.”) “Maybe in the
capitol city you can find something special.”
It seems that tomorrow is just another holiday—a great excuse to not work, not go to school—to sleep in and relax.
Since I couldn’t get any answers from my Spanish friends, I decided to do a little research on my own. The internet is a great place to cultivate cultural learning and develop cultural awareness.
Yes, you have to sift through the information you find out there in cyberspace—some isn’t accurate. However, you can truly learn a lot with a simple google search.
What is ‘Día de la Constitucíon‘?”
“What is ‘Día de la Constitucíon‘?” I asked Google.
This video says is all . . .
Do I Know More Than They Do?
Very interesting! I think I may know more about the Spanish constitution than I do about my own U.S. Constitution!
I may also know more about the Spanish constitution than some of the Spaniards here in Spain.
As Pierre and I walked out of the soccer stadium tonight after his practice, I turned to a group of parents and said, “Happy Holidays! Tomorrow is your holiday—Día de la Consitucíon!”
They seemed very surprised.
Happy Holiday, Spain! Even if it’s just for a nice day off and time to relax, I’ll take it!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What about you? Do you know why you celebrate all of your national holidays? If not, what can you do to learn more about them?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
