 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2011) |
| Fiestas del Pilar | |
|---|---|
 Flower offering | |
| Genre | Festival |
| Date(s) | 12 October |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Zaragoza, Spain |
| Patron(s) | Our Lady of the Pillar |
| Fiesta of International Tourist Interest | |
| Designated | 2019 |
The Fiestas del Pilar are an annual festival celebrated in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon, in honour of the patron saint of the city, the Virgen del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar). The week long festival takes place every year, usually, beginning the weekend of or before 12 October, and lasts until the following Sunday.[1]
A wide variety of events are organized by the City Hall, with private companies and organizations organizing their own sponsored events, shows, contests, and other activities.
While veneration of the Blessed Virgin in Zaragoza can be traced to at least the 12th century,[2] the introduction of 12 October as the local feast day in remembrance of the Marian apparition was introduced by the city council in 1640,[3] and approved by the Holy See in 1723.[4] The national holiday of Spain, first introduced in 1918 and confirmed for the contemporary Spanish state in 1982, also falls on 12 October, chosen for the date of the discovery of the Americas (in the USA known as Columbus Day).
- ^ Holiday guide to Zaragoza, Spain by The Guardian
- ^ March, J.M. (1911). "Nuestra Señora Del Pilar" from New Advent: The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ Nogués y Secall, Mariano (1862). Historia crítica y apologética de la Virgen nuestra señora del Pilar de Zaragoza, Madrid, 68.
- ^ J. Collin De Plancy (1852), Legends of the Blessed Virgin, London, p. 261.