Instituto Cervantes de Manila will stage the grandest celebration with a feast of Spanish food, vibrant street entertainment and lively musical pieces to party in true Spanish style this Saturday.

Dubbed as El Día del Español (Day of the Spanish language), this celebration will be simultaneously held in 70 Instituto centers in four continents worldwide. The non-profit organization aims to enlighten Filipinos about the lingual and cultural heritage that they received from the Spanish people.

"From the way they speak to the food they eat, there’s no denying that Filipinos have unconsciously integrated Spanish influences into their way of life," it said.

"El Día del Español is a festivity that marks the significance of the Spanish language as a spoken and written language. After English, Spanish is currently the most important language in the world right now. It is also expected to open up a lot of new opportunities to people because it is also the second most widely-spoken business language in the world," said Instituto Cervantes Director José Rodríguez.

Free entertainment will be provided by a host of exciting performers and musicians for a whole day of leisure and activity for the whole family. In addition, they will experience an explosion of Spanish words and a gastronomic celebration of delectable Spanish specialties, games, and an exhibition of mimes, acrobats, and other performances.

"Languages shape the way people perceive the world and it also provides help in defining the culture of any society. It is not only a vehicle for the expression of thoughts but it also represents a fundamental expression of social identity," Rodríguez added.

El Día del Español starts with an online campaign that captures the wide-spread use of Spanish as a language used at home and as a language of both instruction and learning.

To highlight the event, Instituto Cervantes de Manila will feature a symbolic firing of cannon containing a colorful blast of Spanish words and confetti. The cannon will be detonated at exactly 11 a.m. along with balloons containing Spanish palabras, making words literally thrown in the air.

"Similar to the ancient tradition of firing cannon to inaugurate an event, on June 20 at 11 a.m., a cannon will be fired to celebrate El Día del Español. But instead of cannonballs which are intended to destroy, the cannon will be shooting out words to disseminate the importance of the language," Rodriguez said.

Revellers can join the fun starting at 10 a.m. on June 20 on T.M. Kalaw Street, Manila.

Etensive knowledge of the Spanish language is also expected to open up new opportunities for Filipinos, as shown by the recent upsurge in demands for Spanish-speaking employees in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, as well as for Filipino nurses and skilled workers in Spain, US and some European nations.

Instituto Cervantes has developed a special tailor-made syllabus for health workers and call center agents in the country.

"Our ultimate objective is to equip Filipinos with lingual and cultural insights that may help them pursue opportunities that are being offered by the Spanish government and business community," said Rodriguez.

Estimates showed, there are some 500 million Spanish speaking people worldwide, and around 45 million in USA.