Constitution Day
Public Holiday in Spain
As part of the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, a general election took place in 1977 to convene the Cortes Generales (Parliament) for the purpose of drafting and approving a constitution (this is called Cortes Constituyentes).
A seven-member panel was selected among the elected members of the Cortes to work on a draft of the Constitution to be submitted to the Cortes. These so-called Fathers of the Constitution were Gabriel Cisneros, José Pedro Pérez-Llorca, Miguel Herrero de Miñon, Miquel Roca, Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Gregorio Peces-Barba and Jordi Solé Tura.
The Constitution was approved by the Cortes on October 31, 1978, and by the Spanish people in a referendum on December 6, 1978, before being promulgated by King Juan Carlos on December 27. The Constitution set out how the government would be run, what powers they had and determined the governmental system that Spain would operates on.
December 6 has since been a national holiday in Spain.
Constitution day is therefore a celebration of the day Spain became a democracy.
The day is seen as the start of the December holidays and a long weekend is normally taken in conjunction with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
In recent years however, Constitution Day has become more popular for protest marches and political statements.
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