Spanish Language Day at Restaurant Shepard’s Market
It’s Spanish Language Day on April 23, and actually that’s quite a big deal.
It’s easy to imagine that a lot of the weirder ‘international-something’ days have been created out of thin air by hard-pressed PR consultants seeking publicity for clients – like National Popcorn Day or Bubble Bath Day. But Spanish Language Day – Dia del Idioma Español en las Naciones Unidas – was established by the United Nations in 2010.
Its purpose is to celebrate the cultural and linguistic significance of the Spanish language worldwide. April 23 was selected as a tribute to the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra – best known for his novel Don Quixote – who died on April 22, 1616.
The Spanish language is the fourth most commonly spoken in the world, with more than half a billion speakers – and one of the UN’s six official languages. On UN Spanish Language Day, events take place all over the world including language workshops, seminars, conferences, cultural exhibitions, poetry readings and performances.
Talking of Spain …
As well as celebrating the language itself, Spanish Language Day is an opportunity to promote linguistic diversity, cultural exchange, and mutual understanding among Spanish speakers and enthusiasts worldwide. It’s a day to appreciate the beauty of the language and its contributions to literature, arts, science, and global communication.
It’s a day for storytelling too. Spain has a rich history of folklore – including The Legend of San Jorge who saved a princess from a fire-breathing dragon (we think you might recognise that one), El Coco, a child-eating monster and Santa Compaña, a procession of the undead among the living.
But if you’d just like to hear this beautiful language spoken by a few natives, why not pop down to El Pirata – Mayfair’s oldest tapas bar – on Down Street, just beyond Shepherd Market. It’s always buzzing.
