Celebrations of San Salvador – August 6, 2025

History of Celebrations of San Salvador

The history of the Celebrations of San Salvador began when Christopher Columbus first discovered the new world in 1492. As a rule, he named the place of discovery after the feast day of a saint who coincided with his arrival. St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and the Dominican Republic are some examples of places discovered like this.

In 1524, as new lands were discovered, Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado conquered a new land in the name of Spain and named it after Jesus Christ. The full name was “Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesus Cristo, El Salvador Del Mundo” meaning “Province of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World.” It’s no surprise that the name was abbreviated to ‘El Salvador,’ meaning ‘The Saviour.’ The capital was then named San Salvador (Holy Saviour).

Alongside the Spaniards came the tradition of Fiesta Patronales — a tradition where cities celebrate the feast day of the saint they were named after with a festival. The feast day of saints is usually on the day of their death but in the case of El Salvador, Jesus’ death is already celebrated on Easter Day, and His birth is covered by Christmas so another day had to be chosen to celebrate His festival, and so the day Feast of the Transfiguration was chosen.

The transfiguration of Jesus was an event where He became radiant in glory thus showing His divinity. No particular date was given for the event and so in 1456, Pope Callixtus III set it on August 6 to commemorate the lifting of the Siege of Belgrade. The celebrations have been happening since the 16th Century and a major highlight is “the descent” (la bajada) in which a wooden statue of Jesus dressed in purple is carried from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Divine Savior of the World.