He Columbus Day It is a celebration that marks the meeting of two worlds, America and Europe, when Christopher Columbus arrived on the shores of the American continent in 1492. This historic event, although it arouses controversy and debate on its interpretation, represents the beginning of a cultural process and social exchange that changed the world forever. In this sense, to commemorate this meeting, many events are organized in Spain and, one of the most notable, is the armed forces parade. However, many people wonder why the parade takes place on October 12 when Armed Forces Day is on May 30.
The reason why the Armed Forces parade is celebrated on October 12
Originally, Royal Decree 996/1978 of May 12 established, on an annual basis, May 30 as Armed Forces Day, “coinciding with the Feast of San Fernando”, and regulated “the events to be celebrated in each of the General captaincieswith special emphasis on one of them each year, in which a military parade and tribute to the flag of Spain“.
Likewise, “with the aim of broadening the resonance of the anniversary and emphasizing the identification of the armies with the Spanish people”, Royal Decree 530/1987 of April 10 extended the celebration to the entire national territory , “creating Armed Forces Day as a day of meeting and communication between civilian and military citizens. However, shortly after, the General Cortes approved Law 18/1987, of October 7, which established the National Day of Spain October 12“with the aim of remembering one of the most significant moments in our history”.
The royal decree that moved Armed Forces Day to October 12
However, it was Royal Decree 862/1997, of June 6, which “moved to October 12 the most significant events that took place every year on the occasion of Armed Forces Day”, considering that such measure would contribute “in particular to the achievement of the two objectives”, emphasizing the identification of the armed forces with the society they serve. “All this without prejudice to the fact that during Armed Forces Day and the festivities which, by tradition, history or custom, are celebrated by the different Armies, Weapons, Corps or Institutesthe internal acts programmed by the Ministry of Defense», Reveals the text.
