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The region's green and white flag was hoisted in Jimera de Líbar (Malaga province) to mark the date last year Karl Smallman
What is special about 28 February in Andalucía and why is it declared a public holiday?
Día de Andalucía

What is special about 28 February in Andalucía and why is it declared a public holiday?

Banks, public buildings and many shops will close to mark the occasion in the eight provinces of the region: Huelva, Cadiz, Seville, Malaga, Jaén, Cordoba, Granada and Almeria

SUR in English

Malaga

Tuesday, 27 February 2024, 18:24

February 28 is celebrated as the Día de Andalucía (Andalucía day) in the south of Spain every year and it commemorates the date of the 1980 referendum on the Statute of Autonomy of Andalucía, when the people voted for it to become an autonomous region. The referendum came just over a year after the Spanish constitution was established on 6 December 1978, after the return to democracy following 40 years of dictatorship.

It is marked with a public holiday across all eight provinces in Andlaucía (Huelva, Cadiz, Seville, Malaga, Jaén, Cordoba, Granada and Almeria) and as such, banks, public buildings and many shops will close and there will be various celebrations in villages, towns and cities across the region.

Although each province in Andalucía has its own individual characteristics, there are many things that bind the whole region together including the Andalusian accent, the flag, anthem and coat of arms. However, of all of these, it is the accent and way of speaking with which most Andalusians said they identify according to an opinion poll on Andalusian identity conducted by the Andalusian studies centre (Centra), in February last year.

Improved image

Interestingly the results of the survey also showed that a large majority of Andalusians considered that the image of the community had improved over the recent years.

Centra, a research body affiliated to Junta regional government, interviewed 1,200 Spanish people over 18 years of age residing in Andalucía, who were asked how they identified with Andalusian and Spanish symbols. On a scale of one to ten, 62.5% said they identified as very Spanish, compared with 55.5% who said they identified as 'very Andalusian'.

Some 64.3 per cent said they felt both Andalusian and Spanish. Some 18.5 per cent felt more Andalusian than Spanish and only 11.1 per cent felt more Spanish than Andalusian.

However, more people identified with Andalusian symbols than with Spanish ones. For example 65.8% identified with the Andalusian flag, compared to 55.2% who aligned with the Spanish flag.

Anthems and pride

Likewise, 57.7% of those interviewed identified with the Andalusian anthem, while 51.6 per cent identified more with the Spanish national anthem.

Only 4.3 per cent said they felt little or no identification with the Andalusian accent compared to 20.9 per cent who identified somewhat and 72.8 per cent who identified highly with the accent. 62 per cent of interviewees said they felt angry when the accent was criticised, while 15.5 per cent were indifferent and 15.5 per cent feel embarrassed by the way they speak. Likewise, 75 per cent enjoyed watching programmes with presenters who have an Andalusian accent.

The study also explored the feeling of pride. 59.1% responded that they felt sad when Andalucía is criticised in the media, 9.9%, embarrassed and 7.8%, shame. When it came to who is responsible for the negative feelings, 15.2% attribute it to politicians from other regions; 14.5%, to Andalusian politicians; 14.3%, to the way Andalusians are and 9.9%, to the media.

Asked about the evolution of the image of the region during the previous four years, 30.6% considered that it had improved a lot and 36.3% that it had improved somewhat, compared to 5.5% who thought that it had worsened somewhat and 5.5% that it had worsened a lot.

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surinenglish What is special about 28 February in Andalucía and why is it declared a public holiday?