El Día E ('E-Day') or El Día del Español ('Spanish Language Day') is a festive commemoration promoted by the Instituto Cervantes since 2009, which takes place on the Saturday closest to the solstice of June, and whose objective is to spread the culture of Spanish, celebrate its importance in the world and foster the unity of its speakers.^[1]

Motivation

More than 500 million people speak Spanish. Spanish is the second language in the world in number of native speakers and the second language of international communication. 7.9% of Internet users communicate in Spanish, where it is the third most used language. The use of Spanish on the Internet has experienced a growth of 1,123% between the years 2000 and 2013. Spanish is the second most important language on Wikipedia by number of visits.

Acts

On Spanish Day, the Instituto Cervantes centers around the world organize various events and proposals related to Spanish and Hispanic culture, including concerts, exhibitions, conferences, «raining words» and visits to the Caja de las Letras.^[2] At the same time, participatory activities are launched on the Internet, such as choosing a favorite Spanish word, games related to the language or narrative contests.^[1][3][4]

Editions

References