Posted
on September 11, 2014
When
we went to Spain this summer, one of our favorite regions was
Catalonia, and one of our favorite cities was Barcelona (which is in
Catalonia). I was really interested to see a lot of signs with
three or four languages – and at times French was first, THEN
Catalan, THEN Spanish, THEN (if we were lucky) English.
I
kept being surprised at the prevalence of the French language (in
certain areas). Of course, we were near France—but we were IN
Spain. Now that I am writing about Catalonia, it turns out there are
three official languages in Catalonia: Catalan, Spanish, and Aranese,
which is a dialect of Occitan. So now I'm wondering if it really was
French? Could it have been Aranese?
I
was also interested to see banners and graffiti that said
“Independencia” in several spots in Catalonia. (That word looks
like Spanish, but the word for “independence” is spelled the same
in Spanish and Catalan.)
I knew that Spain has autonomous communities
with self-rule, and that each of these autonomous regions has common
language and cultural ties, plus a shared history.
And
I knew that Catalonia is one of those autonomous regions.
So,
with all that self-rule, I was a bit surprised to discover that many
Catalan people were not satisfied with autonomy; a growing number of
them want full separation from Spain. Thank goodness, they want to
achieve this separation through peaceful means—through a democratic
process of voting for independence and negotiation with the central
Spanish government.
With
that background, what is the Day of Catalonia all about?
Today
is the anniversary of the 1714 end of the siege of Barcelona (a siege
is when armed forces surround a city, cutting off the city people's
supplies, in order to force the city's surrender). This was at the
end of the War of the Spanish Succession—a war fought over the
question of who would rule Spain.
On
one side was the Archduke Charles of Austria, who was backed by
Britain and the Netherlands, and also (surprisingly, at least to me)
Catalonia and the other territories that made up the Crown of Aragon.
On the other side was Philip V of Spain, who was backed by France and
much of Spain (Castilian territories) . Philip V was a member of the
royal house of the Bourbons.
After
a year-long siege of Archduke Charles's forces in Barcelona, the
Bourbons finally triumphed and took over the city. This is considered
the time when Catalonia lost its independence to Spain.
How
is the Day of Catalonia celebrated?
In
addition to honoring Catalan heroes, speeches and flag-waving,
concerts and feasts and parties, many Catalan people peacefully
demonstrate to express their desire for independence from Spain. (At
least, the last few years, the demonstrations were peaceful; I
certainly hope they are this year as well!)
I read that more than
450,000 people are expected to attend the mass demonstration. Right
now 55% of Catalonia's people want to separate from Spain, and that
percentage is said to be rising all the time.
Also
on this date:
Theft
of the French Blue
Anniversary
of the recording of the first Beatle's single
Patriot
Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance (U.S.)
This
day commemorates the tragic deaths and injury and loss that most
Americans know as 9/11.
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
In 1973, Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill saw what many others would see as an ugly, abandoned WWII cement factory outside of Barcelona, Spain.
But he saw something more.
...he kept a lot of the amazing structures and "bones" of the cement factory, and it has given his home a ton of drama and interest.
