The feast of Our Lady of the Pillar is celebrated on 12 October and she is the Patroness of the Hispanic peoples and the Spanish Civil Guard. A grand nine-day festival known as "Fiestas del Pilar" is celebrated in Saragossa (Zaragoza) every year in her honour. The modern "Fiestas del Pilar", as they developed since the 19th century, begin on the weekend preceding 12 October and they end on the Sunday after 12 October (i.e. they move between 5–13 and 11–19 October). They were declared as a "national holiday of touristic interest" ("Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional") by the "Ministerio de Comercio y Turismo" in 1980.