The National Day of Catalonia known locally as La Diada or La Festa Nacional de Catalunya , marks the anniversary of a military defeat. Catalan troops fighting the Bourbon King Philip V of Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession were defeated on September 11th 1714 .
That meant a loss of liberties for Catalans. Catalonia was forced to renounce to Catalan as an official language and Catalan´s institutions lost their power to become part of the Spanish government.

Every year floral tributes are laid at the statue of Rafael Casanova (in the small square at the corner of Ronda de Sant Pere and Carrer d’Alí Bei) and at Fossar de les Moreres, next to the church of Santa Maria del Mar, where 4000 people lost their lives defending the city.

But what used to be a celebration of Catalan culture and identity is now becoming a political event to claim Catalonia´s right to vote on independence from Spain. A considerable part of the Catalan population want full independence from Spain and there are many nationalist organisations that organise events.

During La Diada, most people wear or bring Catalan flags. Flags are also displayed from buildings and balconies
Thought the Catalan flag is the Senyera (made of four red stripes on a yellow background), a different version of the flag, called la Estelada, has become more and more popular in the recent years. It has a white star on a blue triangle over the senyera’s red-and-yellow stripes and it is the unofficial symbol of the Catalan independence movement.

Besides being an occasion to commemorate soldiers who defended Barcelona and an opportunity for political demonstrations, la Diada is also a festival to enjoy music, concerts and popular meals.

Being a Catalan holiday, many shops, firms and offices are closed during the Diada and local traffic especially in Barcelona can be disrupted, to allow demonstrations and parades.

fly with us
Directory of travel related sites

The post LA DIADA – Day of Catalonia appeared first on .