Expanish Blog

This 9th of July the people of Argentina will celebrate one of the most important holidays in the country, a holiday that exclaims Argentina’s freedom and independence. This holiday is fittingly called, ‘9 de Julio’ or ‘Dia de la Independencia’ (Independence Day), and for Spanish students in Buenos Aires, it is best to be celebrated with other local Argentines to really experience Argentina’s freedom.

What happened on 9 de Julio?

On July 9th, 1816, the Congress of Tucuman officially declared the independence of Argentina, gathering its surrounding provinces and establishing Argentina as a country, and cutting all ties with Spain.  Before this declaration, Spain had a wide control on the regions and provinces which today are what make up Argentina and South America, and continued to attempt to keep or regain control over its colonies throughout the Americas.   In 1815, delegate deputies were summoned from the surrounding provinces in order to hold a congress in the city of Tucuman in order to establish Argentina as a country and stop the rule of Spain. In 1816, deputies from the surrounding regions came to Tucuman and on July 9th, 1816, after much debate, a vote was taken, a decision was made, and Argentina was born.

If you are interested in celebrating this national holiday, just take to the streets this Thursday July 9th and take part in the many celebrations that will be held in the downtown area of Buenos Aires, the Avenida 9 de Julio, and close to Plaza de Mayo.

** Downtown Buenos Aires sees thousands of people on this day of celebration, so just make sure you stay with your group, hold your camera close, and just keep the money you will need for that day/night. Better safe than sorry!**