When is Madeira Day?
The Day of the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Madeiran Communities is celebrated on July 1st each year.
History of Madeira Day
Madeira is an archipelago situated in the north Atlantic Ocean. The islands were visited and then settled by Portuguese sailors in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1419. The archipelago is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the exploratory period of the Age of Discovery.
Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal. Autonomy was granted to the Autonomous Region of Madeira in the Portuguese Constitution on July 1st 1976. This followed the 1974 revolution that swept away the Salazar dictatorship that had governed mainland Portugal, the islands and the colonies since 1928.
The holiday is marked throughout the region with fireworks and parades, An official ceremony takes place in the Regional Legislative Assembly.
Although it is officially celebrated as a public holiday in Madeira, it is also celebrated by Madeiran citizens and those with a Madeiran heritage around the world.
