Many Canarians take advantage of this day to celebrate the culture of the islands and show their pride in belonging, but perhaps not everyone knows the origin of this day.
Why do we celebrate Canary Islands Day today? Today folías and isas sound in the street, you can smell gofio and there will be few tables in the archipelago that do not have their wrinkled potatoes to celebrate the luck of being a Canarian. However, perhaps many of those who celebrate this day are unaware of its origin.
The origins of the Day of the Community of Madrid date back to 1808, those of Catalonia until 1714... However, the day of the Canary Islands has a much more recent history. Specifically, this year marks 40 years of celebration.
The reason May 30th is celebrated as Canary Islands Day is the anniversary of the first session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, held on that same day in 1983 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The session was presided over by the socialist Pedro Guerra Cabrera, who gave a speech about unity and building the islands as a region, "from now on and forever." The Parliament of the Canary Islands as an institution was established a year earlier, in the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands of 1982.
The tradition of this celebration soon became established throughout the archipelago, reaching every corner of the islands and turning May 30 into a great festival of folklore, gastronomy and respect for the history and culture of our archipelago.
