Azores Day
| Azores Day | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Dia da Região Autónoma dos Açores |
| Also called | Dia dos Açores |
| Observed by | Azores, Portugal |
| Type | Regional |
| Significance | A celebration of the Azores autonomy, following the Carnation Revolution, the holiday transformed into a historical, cultural and social affirmation of the region |
| Celebrations | Military parades, Honours, Concerts |
| Date | Pentecost Monday |
| 2016 date | 16 May |
| 2017 date | 5 June |
| 2018 date | 21 May |
| 2019 date | 10 June |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Portugal Day |
Azores Day (Portuguese: Dia dos Acores) is a regional holiday established to commemorate the Azorean political autonomy established in the Portuguese constitution, following the Carnation Revolution. The date corresponds to the festival of the Holy Spirit, a celebration based in the archipelago's religious and cultural history, held on the Sunday of Pentecosts, a movable public holiday observed only in the archipelago of the Azores.
It had its base in other attempts to implement a level of autonomy, like the 19th century decree of 2 March 1895.
It was in June 1976 that the regional elections installed the first Legislature of the Azores, followed by the installation of a Government for the region, and later direct universal local authority elections in December.
At the state level, the Day of the Azores corresponds to Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas (Portugal Day), instituted by Portuguese decrees 51/92 (11 April 1992), 39B/78 (2 March 1978) and 80/77 (4 March 1977). Ironically, the day, instituted within the Third Portuguese Republic does not correspond to the Portugal's creation: some suggest that day was 24 June 1128, the day that Afonso Henriques defeated his adversaries in Guimarães, while another thesis supported 24 July 1137, when this nobleman defeat the Moors at the Battle of Ourique.
The Day of the Azores, designated to the Dia da Região Autónoma dos Açores (Day of the Autonomous Region of the Azores), corresponds to the Monday of the Holy Spirit, held annually on 16 May. It was legislated by the government of Mota Amaral on 21 August 1980, under Regional Decree 13/89/A. At the original celebrations, apart from representatives of the government, the President of the Regional Legislature, Álvaro Monjardino and Minister of the Republic Henrique Horta were in attendance.
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