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MENTAL HEALTH

Hard questions in Spain after twins’ fatal balcony plunge

Spain's education minister has expressed concerns about young people's mental health after the death of a 12-year-old girl who plunged off a balcony with her twin sister, who was critically injured.

Published: 24 February 2023 09:34 CET

bullying suicide spain

Sources in Catalonia's regional education department said "the school had not picked up on any specific problem of bullying". Stock photo: Jamie Street/Unsplash

Sources in the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, said the incident took place on Tuesday evening at their home in Sallent, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) north of Barcelona.

The pair had reportedly left hand-written notes next to the balcony but the police have so far been very cautious in their use of language.

While police have ruled out any criminal cause, they have said the pair “plunged” off a third-floor balcony. One twin died at the scene while the other was rushed to hospital in critical condition, they said.

The incident has shaken Spain, prompting fierce speculation about the state of mind of the two girls who had reportedly been bullied at school.

READ ALSO: Is bullying a problem in Spanish schools?

But Education Minister Pilar Alegría urged people not to jump to conclusions while the investigation was still under way.

“Particularly since the pandemic, we’ve known there has been an increase in self-harming behaviour among young people, particularly adolescents.”

“We are working with all the relevant authorities because even if it’s just one case (of bullying).. we need to try and find the best solution,” she added.

The tragedy has shaken this area of 7,000 residents which declared three days of mourning and suspended its carnival.

La Vanguardia newspaper said the girls were from an Argentine family which had moved into the area some two years ago.

A close family friend told the paper the girls had suffered taunts and insults at school.

Recently, the mockery had increased after one of the girls said she felt like a boy and had wanted to be given a boy’s name, El País newspaper reported.

But sources in Catalonia’s regional education department said “the school had not picked up on any specific problem of bullying” although it had “provided psychological support and counselling to the girls since the start of the school year”.

READ ALSO: Spain’s gender self-determination law comes into force

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Everything you need to know about Mother's Day in Spain

This year, Mother’s Day (El Día de la Madre) is celebrated in Spain on Sunday May 5th. It’s always celebrated on the first Sunday of the month of May.

On this day, young children in Spain give their mothers manualidades (crafts) they’ve made at school as a token of their love.

Husbands and older sons and daughters may buy their wives/mothers a present to say thanks for all that they do as matriarchs, which usually takes the form of a detalle (smaller present than for a birthday or Christmas), and will come accompanied by a message such as te quiero, mamá (I love you, mum).

According to experiences website Aladinia, the average Spaniards spends €65 on gifts on Mother’s Day.

Other mums may send out text messages to wish each other ¡Feliz Día de la Madre! (Happy Mother’s Day!).

As it’s always celebrated on a Sunday, many shops will be closed but you can expect plenty of restaurants to be open for lunch and perhaps dinner.

Depending where you’re from, the first Sunday of May may or may not be when you’re used to celebrating Mother’s Day in your home country.

Around the world over 100 countries celebrate Mother’s Day (or Mothering Sunday, more on the difference below) – 77 in May, 13 in March, and 14 at other times during the year.

Some countries, like the UK, celebrate Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday during Lent, meaning that the date changes each year. This is because Mothering Sunday was originally a Christian holiday in some European countries.

READ ALSO: How a female teacher campaigned for Spain to have a Father’s Day

Spain, however, celebrates Mother’s Day on the first Sunday in May each year, meaning that it doesn’t have a fixed date either. But it wasn’t always like that.

The history of Mother’s Day in Spain

The first Mother’s Day in Spain was celebrated in Madrid all the way back on October 4th, 1926. Much of the impetus for establishing a day to celebrate mothers came, rather fittingly, from a poet.

Julio Menéndez García, a Valencian poet and public servant, pushed for a special day to celebrate mothers. Spanish newspaper La Libertad published a short section on Garcìa’s efforts in October 1925:

“A Levantine poet, Julio Menéndez García, has had the happy initiative that in Spain and in the Spanish-speaking nations a day should be consecrated to extol the love of mothers. The establishment of Mother’s Day is something tender and sympathetic, which deserves to be welcomed by governments, the press and public opinion, as it involves the highest tribute to women in their most august representation.”

After the Civil War, the church moved the date to December 8th to coincide with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a key holiday among Catholics.

Civil War-era poster urging Madrid mothers to leave the Spanish capital with their children before the arrival of Franco’s troops. (Photo by AFP)

But it wasn’t until 1965 that Mother’s Day was celebrated in May in Spain. The reason for this change of date was to separate the celebrations (both were considered important enough to have their own day) but also the influence of other countries, namely the United States.

The campaign for a Mother’s Day was originally started by Anna Jarvis, an American wanting to honour her mother, in 1908. By 1914, US President Woodrow Wilson officially signed it into law, establishing a May date.

However, for many years in Spain department store El Corte Inglés maintained the date of 8th December, meaning that Spain Mother’s Day was celebrated twice a year for a while, commercially speaking at least.

In 1936 a local council in Breña Baja, on the Canary island of La Palma, became the first in Spain to move Mother’s Day to May.

However, in 1965 the church authorities officially decided to move Mother’s Day to May, a month consecrated to the Virgin Mary. May is also the month of female gods in the classical world, and in Catholicism is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Interestingly, Jarvis herself later campaigned against the day, arguing it had become overly commercialised, something Spaniards often bemoan about other imported American customs like Halloween and Valentine’s Day.

READ ALSO: How a female teacher campaigned for Spain to have a Father’s Day

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