E Day – the celebration of all who speak Spanish

More than 500 million people speak Spanish. It is the second language in the world in number of native speakers and the third most used language on the Internet.  To celebrate this vast wealth of Spanish culture, the Cervantes Institute organizes a day that aims to establish itself as the celebration of all who speak this language.

E Day, or as it is also known, Day of Spanish,  is the festive commemoration hosted by Cervantes Institute since 2009 to celebrate all those who speak Spanish. It took place on Saturday 22nd June, and aimed to spread the culture of Spanish, and celebrate it’s importance in the world.

The Cervantes Institute in Madrid celebrated by hosting a program of activities. Some of its activities were aimed at children. Among them was “Cuentacuentos”.  Stories rich in cultural heritage were read on various folk tales and legends of Spanish and Latin American countries such as Mexico, Cuba or Paraguay.

There was a magic show named “La magia de las palabras”, created by the Illusionist Peter Volta where the words took on a new dimension in the art of magic.  Other themed activities were “Taller de letras creativas”, “Letras que vuelan” and “Visita a la Caja de las letras.”

Cervantes Institute in Alcala de Henares also celebrated E Day with an open day and activities such as “Visita la exposición - Places of inspiration." Persons enjoyed a set of pieces by some of the most prestigious Spanish artists and Hispanic Americans in the second half of the twentieth century, among them, Antonio Saura, Luis Gordillo, Andreu Alfaro, Eduardo Arroyo, Eduardo Chillida, Miquel Barceló, Lucio Muñoz, and Roberto Matta. 

The prints are inspired by paintings and literary works such as "Don Quixote" and the poetry of Lorca, and the great masters of the Museo del Prado (Goya, Velazquez, El Greco and Rubens). Cervantes Institute in Alcala de Henares also hosted “Taller infantil: Graba y estampa” which invited children to work with words in a dynamic and fun way.

All scheduled activities were free, open to the public and did not require previous registration to attend.

Debra, student of Tia Tula