Not to be confused with
Pascua
.
Pascua Florida
(
pronounced
[?paskwa
flo??iða]
) is a
Spanish
term that means "flowery festival" or "feast of flowers" and is an annual celebration of
Juan Ponce de Leon
's arrival in what is now the state of
Florida
.
[1]
[2]
While the holiday is normally celebrated on April 2, it can fall on any date between the latter parts of March and the first week of April, depending on the day of the week April 2 falls on and/or the Governor's discretion.
[3]
Pascua Florida Day is a
state holiday
.
[4]
Background
[
edit
]
Juan Ponce de Leon
is the first known European to discover the area that is now known as
Florida
.
[5]
His successful discovery of Puerto Rico during one of many Spanish expeditions for gold, mystical items and new lands, precipitated Spain's permission and encouragement to claim more lands in the new world.
[5]
One such mystical item that lured him to what eventually happened to be Florida, was the Fountain of Youth.
[5]
[6]
Juan Ponce de Leon became governor of
Puerto Rico
during the early 1500s.
[6]
[5]
The natives told him of an island that was rich in gold and had a magical fountain of water which would renew a person's health and youth.
[5]
Intrigued, Ponce de Leon returned to Spain to seek the approval of the Spanish crown to search and explore the island, known by natives as Bimini.
[6]
On February 23 of 1512, King Ferdinand approved Ponce de Leon's request to search for the island and by the 3rd of March in 1513, three ships left the Port of San German in Puerto Rico to search for the island of Bimini.
[6]
He landed on Floridian shores some time during April 2 to April 8 and named the area "la Florida" in honor of "Pascua Florida", Spain's
Easter
time celebration.
[3]
The expedition believed their discovery to be a large island and Ponce de Leon named the 'island' Pascua Florida.
[6]
History of Holiday
[
edit
]
History and Significance
[
edit
]
Pascua Florida Day commemorates the arrival of Juan Ponce de Leon on the shores of the state of Florida in 1513.
[1]
[3]
[2]
Florida
is now known as the "Flower State" because of the connection to Ponce de Leon and Pascua Florida.
[3]
Since its entry into legislature, the holiday, while having no specific celebratory acts, usually culminates in a period of retrospection of Florida's rich history and the preceding events that led to it.
[3]
Celebration
[
edit
]
Pascua Florida Day is only celebrated in Florida. The holiday was adopted into Florida law on April 2 of 1953 at the suggestion of Mary A. Harrell, a Social Studies teacher in Jacksonville, Florida.
[3]
From that point on, the week within which the holiday falls, usually March 27 to April 2, is dubbed Pascua Florida Week to honor Florida's history, and school children and adults alike, are urged to observe the time by partaking in commemorative exercises and programs.
[3]
Pascua Florida Day
[
edit
]
Pascua Florida Day is usually celebrated on April 2 (the day on which Ponce de Leon first spotted Florida) unless it falls on a weekend, in which case the governor may declare either the preceding Friday or the following Monday as the state day.
[7]
The Governor of Florida may issue an annual proclamation designating April 2 as the state day and designating the week of March 27 to April 2 as "Pascua Florida Week" and calling upon public schools and citizens of Florida to observe the same as a patriotic occasion.
[8]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"European Exploration and Colonization - Florida Department of State"
.
dos.myflorida.com
. Retrieved
March 20,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Ponce de Leon claims Florida for Spain"
.
HISTORY
. Retrieved
March 20,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Hatch, Jane M. (1978).
The American book of days
. The H. W. Wilson Company.
ISBN
0-8242-0593-6
.
OCLC
953162536
.
- ^
"Florida State Holidays"
.
Employment Law Handbook
. Retrieved
March 20,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Juan Ponce de Leon | Biography, Route, & Facts"
.
Encyclopedia Britannica
. Retrieved
March 20,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Koch, Peter O. (2009).
Imaginary cities of gold : the Spanish quest for treasure in North America
. McFarland & Co.
ISBN
978-0-7864-4381-9
.
OCLC
277136415
.
- ^
"Chapter 683 Section 06 - 2018 Florida Statutes - The Florida Senate"
.
www.flsenate.gov
. Retrieved
March 20,
2020
.
- ^
"Chapter 683 Section 06 - 2018 Florida Statutes - The Florida Senate"
.
www.flsenate.gov
. Retrieved
March 20,
2020
.
Look up
florida
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up
pascua
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
|
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January
| |
---|
January?February
| |
---|
February
American Heart Month
Black History Month
|
- Birthday of Luis Munoz Marin
(PR)
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(religious)
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(CA, DE)
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(CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal)
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(religious)
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March
Irish-American Heritage Month
Colon Cancer Awareness Month
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|
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(religious)
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(VI)
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(cultural)
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March?April
|
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(PR, religious)
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Arab American Heritage Month
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June
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
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July
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July?August
| |
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August
| |
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September
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
| |
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September?October
Hispanic Heritage Month
| |
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October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
Filipino American History Month
LGBT History Month
| |
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October?November
| |
---|
November
Native American Indian Heritage Month
|
- Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha
(religious)
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(religious)
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(religious)
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/
Samhain
(religious)
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(Perry County, AL)
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(VI)
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(24)
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(religious)
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(PR)
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(NV)
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(religious)
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(religious)
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(MD, WA, cultural)
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(religious)
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(cultural)
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(cultural)
|
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|
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(religious)
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(AL)
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(religious)
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(religious)
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(religious)
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(KY, NC, SC, PR, VI)
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(KY, NC, SC, TX, VI)
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(IN)
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(36)
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(36)
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(OH, OR)
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(religious)
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(36)
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(religious)
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(religious)
|
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Varies (year round)
| |
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|