When is the Day of Melilla?
The Day of Melilla is celebrated in the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla on March 13th every year.
The holiday commemorates the establishment of Melilla as an autonomous city on this day in 1995.
History of the Day of Melilla
Melilla is a Spanish exclave and free port located on the north coast of Africa and shares a border with Morocco. It has been a part of Spain since the 15th century.
The Statute of Autonomy of Melilla was approved by the Spanish government on March 13th 1995 and published in the Official State Gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado) the following day, together with the equivalent for the city of Ceuta.
Before autonomy, Melilla was a municipality belonging to the province of Málaga. Autonomy was the result of a 17-year process that began with the Fifth Transitory Provision of the Constitution of 1978 that allowed the subsequent constitution of Ceuta and Melilla in autonomous communities.
