Galician Literature Day Date in the current year: May 17, 2024

The Galician language is an Indo-European language of the Ibero-Romance branch primarily spoken in the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia. It is an official language in Galicia along with Spanish. The Galician language is regulated by the Royal Galician Academy based in the city of A Coruña.

A thriving literature in the Galician language developed in the 19th century. This period is known as the Rexurdimento (Resurgence or Renaissance). Among the most important figures of the Rexurdimento was Rosalía de Castro.

On May 17, 1863, she published her first poetry collection in Galician, “Cantares gallegos” (“Galician Songs”). In 1963, Galician Literature Day was first celebrated to commemorate the centenary of Rosalía de Castro's book.

Each year, the holiday is dedicated to a certain writer in Galician. Living writers are not eligible; the author to be honored is chosen by the Royal Galician Academy from writers who have been dead for at least a decade.