Happy Andalusia Day!

Andalusia Day (‘Día de Andalucía‘ in Spanish) commemorates the referendum for Andalucia to become an autonomous community within Spain, which was held on February 28, 1980. So this year the 33th anniversary of their Statute of Autonomy is honoured.

Andalusia is internationally renowned for its impressive natural beauty, but also for the warm and hospitable character of local people. This is why everyone is more than welcome to come in and join the festivities. The question is: how do they celebrate Andalusia Day?

 

Children have the day off, so they celebrate it at school some days before the 28th, usually singing the regional anthem and having the traditional ‘Mollete con aceite’ breakfast. The ‘mollete‘ is a type of soft round bread roll, often taken for breakfast or to prepare snacks and sandwiches. ‘Aceite‘ means oil, but we can take for granted it refers to extra virgin olive oil – it can’t be any other.

As Andalusia Day is a bank holiday, families usually head to private parties and enjoy the traditional music, folk dances and, of course, food and drinks. Many local specialities are prepared and celebrations are enjoyed all day long. Some cities organise public events offering typical food and entertainment to showcase Andalusian charm.

The green-and-white flag is much in evidence on this day, being widely displayed in shops, waving from flagposts, and even hanging out of balconies.

If you feel like throwing your own party to celebrate this day, you can download this toothpick flag printable in doc or pdf format and give it the required green-and-white Andalusian touch. Just print the sheet, cut out the flags, fold them in half, glue them to some toothpicks, and tah-dah! Happy Andalusia Day!