People around the world may be celebrating Osama bin Laden's death, but madrileños have been celebrating today for years. Dos de mayo is a local holiday, celebrated only in this autonomous community of Spain. Which means there are no classes at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, yipeeeee!
The purpose of the holiday is to commemorate the revolt against French troops that were occupying Madrid in 1808. This rebellion instigated the Spanish War of Independence, which lasted all the way until April of 1814.
The actual holiday is kind of similar to Labor Day in the U.S. There aren't any huge celebrations, besides a few parades, etc. The main things are that many stores are closed and school is cancelled. I walked by the "Dos de mayo" plaza to see if anything special was going on, but it was just a bunch of people hanging out, eating, and playing soccer like usual. Though it was very crowded.
"Dos de mayo" is actually the name of a very famous Goya painting that currently resides in the Prado also. It depicts the violent revolt that occurred that day, and it sits next to another painting named "Tres de mayo," which depicts an execution on the day following the uprising. These are two of the paintings that actually stuck with me the most from my museum visits due to their historical significance and emotional impacts.
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