We use this expression to refer to a careless moment, however chaotic or cheerful can be, and say ¡Viva la Pepa! (long live the Pepa!) ironically. In 1812 Spain was occupied by the French, except for a small territory in the southern Spain: Cádiz and Isla de León (currently San Fernando), which were resisting the Napoleon’s troops. Taking advantage of the fact that during the War of Independence, the king Ferdinand VII was imprisoned in France, the Cádiz Cortes promulgated the first Spanish Constitution on 19 March 1812. However, this constitution was in effect only for two years, since when Ferdinand VII got his throne back in 1814, he abolished the Constitution, and it was forbidden to speak about it. Because the proponents of the constitution couldn’t pronounce the word “constitution”, they began to call it “la Pepa” for it was promulgated on Saint Joseph’s day, which in Spanish is San José. In Spanish Pepe is the nickname for José, and the word “constitution” (la constitución) is feminine, so the feminine of Pepe is Pepa. This is why, from then on the people who were in favor of the constitution started to shout “¡Viva la Pepa!” (Long live the Pepa!) as a synonym for “¡Viva la Constitución!” (Long live the Constitution!).
