This national holiday started out as Dia de Colom (Columbus' Day) celebrating Columbus’s arrival in the New World in 1492.
Some people opposed Columbus Day, claiming his achievements were not worthy of a holiday, saying that historically, Columbus was not the first to discover America, nor was he the first European to land on America. That honour apparently goes to the Viking Leif Ericson, who landed in present day Newfoundland.
There is also controversy surrounding the treatment of the native people of the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. The glorification of Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America is due to Washington Irving’s dramatic and embellished biography of Columbus.
The holiday has therefore been widely criticised by the international community who view it as a celebration of the conquest and genocide by the Spaniards. Accordingly, in 1958, Spain changed the name of this national holiday to Hispanic Day (dia de l'Hispanidad).
To commemorate this special day, a special parade is held in la Plaza de Colon, in Madrid, led by the Spanish military and followed by the King and the Royal Family. A wide array of other authorities, from foreign diplomats positioned in Spain to the presidents of the Autonomous governments, are invited to attend this parade. The Spanish Armed forces also fly through the air doing aerobatics with red and yellow smoke drawing images in the sky for the crowd to see.
