Spanish Armed Forces Day

The Spanish Armed Forces are the entity belonging to the Ministry of Defense that groups the Army, the Navy and the Air and Space Forces. According to the Spanish Constitution, their mission is to guarantee the sovereignty and independence of Spain, to defend its territorial integrity and the constitutional order.

In Spain, the Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the Saturday closest to May 30, Saint Ferdinand's Day (R.D. 530/1987).

It is not a civil holiday nor is it usually considered a national holiday in the strict sense, but rather a military celebration with events open to civilians who can and wish to attend. Its most well-known, popular and emblematic component is a central act and military parade, usually held in Madrid but which could be held in any other capital with a General Captaincy while these existed. Nowadays the military regions with their general captaincies have disappeared, replaced by an integrated structure of state scope.

During the rest of that week other activities are held in different parts of the country, mostly oriented to the knowledge of the work carried out by the Armed Forces by the society as a whole, although they do not usually arouse great interest or attendance among the general public. These activities may include small parades of local relevance.