9 d'Octubre (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: October 9) is a celebration in the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

. It commemorates the conquest of the city of ''Balansiyya'' by the troops of

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

and the creation of the

Kingdom of Valencia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

1238 Year 1238 ( MCCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Mongol Empire * January 15– 20 – Siege of Moscow: The Mongols under Batu Khan a ...

Background

The celebration was created by

James II of Aragon James II (Catalan: ''Jaume II''; Spanish: ''Jaime II;'' 10 April 1267 – 2 or 5 November 1327), called the Just,, an, Chaime lo Chusto, es, Jaime el Justo. was the King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. He ...

in the XIV century, mainly inside of the city of Valencia. Due its antiguity and popular tradition, the date was considered as the Valencian National Day by the Board of Sindical and Political Forces of the Land of Valencia in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, and by the Plenary of Members of Parliament of Valencia in 1977. Finally, with the creation of the

in 1982, it was made a

Public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history, ...

as the Valencian Community Day and is celebrated in the entire Valencian Community. It consists on many activities, being the most representative the Civic procession held in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

since 1338, when it was instituted by

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV, ; an, Pero, ; es, Pedro, . In Catalan, he may also be nicknamed ''el del punyalet'': "he of the little dagger". (Catalan: ''Pere IV''; 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''el Cerimoniós''), w ...

to celebrate the centenary of the

, and to demand protection to Saint Denis in the middle of a

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

caused by poor rains. October 9 is also the Lover's Day in the

, and it's a tradition to give

frutta martorana (also ''frutta di Martorana'' or, in Sicilian, ) are traditional marzipan sweets, in the form of fruits and vegetables, from the provinces of Palermo and Messina, Sicily. Realistically coloured with vegetable dyes, they are said to have originat ...

as a present to a beloved person. This tradition is known as

Mocadorà Mocadorada (also known as Mocadorà, derived word from ''Mocador'', the Valencian word for handkerchief), is a tradition from the Valencian Community celebrated each October 9, concurring with the National Day of Valencia. It consists of a collec ...

, being ''Mocador'' the Valencian word for

handkerchief A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wi ...

, where the

marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzi ...

fruits are held.

References

{{Reflist History of the Valencian Community

National days October observances Public holidays in Spain Autumn events in Spain