To understand the importance of Canarian Day, it’s necessary to know a little about the history of the islands.
For centuries since the conquest of the Canaries in the 15th century, the islands were under the direct rule of Spain. Feudal lords and military governors governed the islands until the 20th century, when a brief spell of limited democracy arrived.
The formation of a Canarian Parliament never occurred after the arrival of Franco’s dictatorship, after which all local politicians were handpicked.
The re-establishment of democracy following Franco’s death finally led to the declaration of the Canaries as an autonomous community. This gave the islands roughly similar powers to the devolved assemblies of Scotland and Wales and granted every islander the right to vote for their local representatives. It’s not quite independence, but it was a huge step forward for islands that had never governed themselves before.
On 30th May 1983, a democratically elected Canarian Parliament sat for the first time in history, and it is this event that is commemorated on Canarian Day every year.
However, Canary Day is about much more than politics. It is a celebration of Canarian identity and culture on the eight islands that fly the white, blue and yellow Canarian tricolour.
On and around Canary Day you’ll often see shop workers wearing traditional Canarian costume, and many schools also encourage children to dress up for the occasion. The sound of traditional Canarian music is heard everywhere, local sports such as Canarian wrestling are celebrated and it’s also a great chance to enjoy typical Canarian cuisine.
Events for Canary Day are usually announced closer to the date, so keep your eyes open for what’s going near you.
Did you know?
The Canarian flag is the only Spanish regional flag represented as an emoji on most smartphones (you’ll find it between the flags of Canada and Cape Verde).
This is because the flags were originally assigned due to tax codes, and the Canaries operates a separate tax regime from the rest of Spain.
