01/07/2025
ANOTHER SPANISH HOLIDAY TRADITION — In a ceremony that goes back to 1782, each and every Epiphany/ Day of Kings, or 6 JAN, Spain celebrates its Military Day of Honour (“Pascua Militar”) starting with a display of the Spanish Royal Guard in the Plaza de Armas within the grounds of the Royal Palace in Madrid, complete with a 21-gun artillery salute, the national anthem, and a review of troops.
The ceremonies then move inside the palace for a speech from the King that kicks off the new year for all military branches, followed by other speeches by the Prime Minister, generals, and ministerial heads, as well as a ceremony in which the King gives honours and promotions to select military personnel.
H.M. the King always wears his commander-in-chief uniform, an specially decorated Army uniform that identifies him as the head of all Spanish forces, and if the the heir to the throne is also majority of age and in the military—in this case H.R.H. the Princess of Asturias Leonor, who is currently undergoing years of military training in each branch to also one day be commander-in-chief as the reigning Queen—also wears a military dress uniform. While she’s worn dress uniforms from the Spanish Navy and Army in the past, today she was wearing the dress blues of the Spanish Marines.
As I witness and reflect upon the state of the world—and the incredibly sorry state of politics in general in 2025–I find comfort in the centuries-old monarchy of my second homeland, Spain, and its traditions. Kings and queens, see presidents, and prime, ministers, and go, but their constitutional parliamentary monarchy remain firm and consistent throughout all of the political upheavals, impervious to all but the passing of time and the changing of monarchs through succession by abdication or death.
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All photos .es
