Castilla–La Mancha Day in Spain Date in the current year: May 31, 2024

Castilla–La Mancha is an autonomous community of Spain situated in the Inner Plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered by the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Aragon, Castile and León, Extremadura, Madrid, Murcia, and Valencia.

The first cities began to emerge in what is now Castilla–La Mancha before the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. For example, the city of Toledo, founded by the Carpetani tribe, is mentioned in a work by the Roman historian Titus Livius as “a small city, but fortified by location” (urbs parva, sed loco munita).

During the early Middle Ages, Toledo was conquered by the Moors, along with most of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1010, the city became the center of the taifa of Toledo, a Muslim principality that had split from the caliphate of Córdoba. The taifa roughly comprised the lands of the present-day provinces of Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Madrid, and Toledo.

The taifa of Toledo was conquered by the Kingdom of Castile in 1085. The city of Toledo quickly became an important strategic center of the Reconquista, as well as a major cultural center. The Spaniards named the region “La Mancha”, a name that became widely known due to Miguel de Cervantes’s famous novel The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, which was published in the early 17th century.

The region was transformed into an autonomous community after the fall of Francisco Franco’s regime and the enactment of the 1978 Constitution of Spain, which introduced a de facto federal model and gave broad rights to the country’s constituent autonomous communities.

In 1981, representatives of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo developed a draft of the regional statute. The Statute of Autonomy of Castilla–La Mancha was approved by the Congress of Deputies on June 17, 1982 and came into force on August 16, 1982.

The first regional election in the newly created autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha was held in May 1983. The seats in the regional Cortes were won by two parties, the regional branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and the People’s Coalition. The first session of the Cortes opened on May 31, 1983. This day was declared the official holiday of Castilla–La Mancha.

Castilla–La Mancha Day has been celebrated annually since 1984. As it is the official holiday of the autonomous community, local schools, universities, government offices, and some businesses are closed for the day, and public transport operates on a holiday schedule.

Castilla–La Mancha Day is marked by various festive events and activities, such a flag raising ceremonies, parades, concerts, exhibitions, fairs, sports competitions, contests, award ceremonies, etc. Every year, a new city or town becomes the center of the community-wide celebrations.