As Christopher Columbus first explored the new world, he dished out names to the various islands and coastlines he encountered. He usually went for the name of a saint whose feast day was on the day of ‘discovery’ (St. Lucia, St. Vincent). Though he may have been recovering from a Saturday night when he arrived at a new island one Sunday morning and named it Dominica (‘Sunday’ in Spanish).  

When the Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado decided to name the new land he had conquered in the name of Spain, he went straight to the top and named it after Jesus Christ.  The full name he chose was “Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesus Cristo, El Salvador Del Mundo” (“Province of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World”). Unsurprisingly, this name was quickly abbreviated to “El Salvador” (The Saviour). Just in case anyone missed the message, the capital was named San Salvador (“Holy Saviour”).

Fiestas Patronales is a tradition that came over the Atlantic with the Spanish. Every city and town would have a particular saint as their patron. The feast day of that saint would then be celebrated with a festival each year. Across El Salvador, most municipalities, cities or towns still observe their Fiestas Patronales. Jesus Christ is the patron of El Salvador. That poses a slight problem as to which day to celebrate. For patron saints, the date of their death is often used; with Jesus that is already covered by Easter, and his birth is also taken. Instead, El Salvador’s Fiesta Patronales is celebrated on August 6th, the Feast of the Transfiguration.