Pascua Florida

Not to be confused with Pascua.

Pascua Florida (pronounced [ˈpaskwa floˈɾiða]) is an annual celebration of Juan Ponce de León's arrival in what is now the state of Florida in 1513. While the holiday is normally celebrated on April 2, it can fall on any date between the latter parts of March and the first week of April, depending on the day of the week April 2 falls on and/or the Governor's discretion. While Pascua Florida Day is recognized as an official state holiday, it is neither a public nor a legal holiday.

As it was the Easter season when Ponce de León first sighted land on his voyage of exploration, and because of the “beautiful view of the many cool woodlands", he called the peninsula, which he believed to be an island, la Pascua Florida. Pascua is short for Pascua de Resurrección, that is, Easter. According to the historian Gary R. Mormino, Ponce chose the name La Florida not only because of its lush landscape, but also because of the time of year, La Pascua Florida (The Paschal Season of Flowers). The Spanish term Pascua Florida is often translated loosely as "feast of flowers", for which the term Pascua de Flores is used in Spanish. The translators of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega say Easter was sometimes referred to as "Pascua Florida" because flowers generally appear in Spain at that time of year.

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