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[infox] Attention: FOR THOSE IN BARCELONA ON SEPT 11th

Posted by (Barcelona (Catalonia)) on

[updated 2023]

If you're in Barcelona or elsewhere in Catalonia, on Sept. 11th, you can be a participant of a very special day for us Catalans and other local residents: LA DIADA, the National Day of Catalonia. As always, everybody is welcome to join and enjoy the activities.

Background in a nutshell

Contrary to what it might seem, Sept 11th is not a festival or a celebration of joy but it is, instead, a commemorative day, a day of remembrance, reflection and also self-determination and, most importantly, a day of reclaim for many Catalans. On Sept 11th, 1714, after a ferocious 15-month siege of the city, the Catalan armies, and militias defending Barcelona had to capitulate to the Spanish and French armies to end the massacre to the civil population and to prevent the annihilation of the city.

This was one of the last episodes of a war started in 1701, known as the Spanish Succession War, resulting from a claim to the throne of the Spanish kingdoms, the Crown of Aragon and the Crown of Castille, by the House of Bourbon to the heirless Charles II from the House of Habsburg. Some statesmen across Europe regarded a dominant House of Bourbon (France) as a threat to European stability, jeopardizing the balance of power and soon enough two sides were created. One of them was spearheaded by the Crown of Aragon -lead by the House of Barcelona- and with the support of the powerful Austro-Hungarian empire, alongside England, Portugal, Scotland, the Dutch Republic, Prussia, and the European houses of Savoy and Hanover. On the other side, the Crown of Castille alongside France and the house of Bavaria and the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.

The war ravaged Europe and saw numerous battle fields across the continent. In a sense, this was the first true WW in which the most powerful empires of the world at the time were involved, preceding WWI for 200 years. The result of the war deeply changed the physiognomy of Europe and completely re-drew its territories giving way to a large portion of the Europe we know now. In the Iberian Peninsula -the focus of the struggle- the changes were dramatic as the two contenders, the Crown of Aragon (a sort of confederacy of kingdoms and territories formed by Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands) and the Crown of Castille fought to the finish. With the defeat of the Catalan capital, Barcelona, the finale of the very successful 700 years old sort of confederacy, the Crown of Aragon, came to an abrupt end. In 1716, a vengeful Philip the Fifth, heir of the House of Bourbon, swiftly moved to annihilate the remains of any resistance, political, cultural or otherwise by suppressing the institutions, universities, privileges, and the ancient charters of almost all the areas that were formerly part of the Crown of Aragon thru the infamous Nueva Planta Treaty. This forceful unification of all the territories in the Iberian Peninsula -except Portugal which had won its independence in 1640... and Gibraltar, which was ceded to the United Kingdom as the result of the peace treaties- gave birth to the Kingdom of Spain, as it's known today.

As a visitor...

From a visitor point of view, Sept. 11th in Barcelona is an opportunity to see at first hand the claim of the Catalan people for their roots, their heritage and their future in a family-oriented day full of patriotic flower offerings, cultural activities (ie. Castellers, folk music...), historical reenactments and also political rallies. La Diada is always celebrated in a festive environment in which Catalans from all over Catalonia come to Barcelona to enjoy and express their pride and in which everybody: residents, migrants and visitors alike are welcome to join.

For a peek on a previous Diada:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x3YusgYAt8

-end of part 1-

Posted by
2942 posts

Whether you relate or not to this highly patriotic commemorative day, the plasticity and visually striking characteristics of the events of this very special day are worth seeing. Furthermore, due to the current political climate in Spain, you might end up living in a truly historical event, one of those that will appear in the History books a few years down the road. Be part of it!

Yet, if you're not interested, most of the regular sites often visited by tourists will continue to be open albeit in the areas where the activities of our National Day are celebrated, expect lots of people -in the hundreds of thousands- thus mobility can be challenging. For example, on years when the afternoon demonstration is held in the district of l'Eixample, reaching Casa Batlló or La Pedrera on this day can be 'complicated' after 4pm.

The special events and everything else related to this day happening in Barcelona can be followed here: https://www.barcelona.cat/en/living-in-bcn/diada

Albeit every Diada might have different events, there are, however, a number of them that are repeated year after year:

SEPT 10th
(In the evening)

  • At El Born, the Government and Parliament of Catalonia hold an institutional act set that pays homage to Human Rights, Democracy and Freedom. Some parliaments by government officials and other public figures.

  • The "Marxa de les Torxes" (Torch March), honouring the fallen heroes in the defence of Catalonia during the Spanish Succession War is celebrated in many cities across Catalonia. Despite being a commemoration of a defeat, it is a reclaiming, peaceful, highly emotional event that even gives goosebumps to tourists who observe it. A torch march is visually and emotionally compelling thanks to its symbolic use of fire, uniting participants in a powerful display of solidarity. The interplay of flickering flames, dark surroundings, and historical or cultural significance creates a stirring atmosphere, further heightened by the participants' passion and dedication, leaving a lasting impact. See https://beteve.cat/politica/marxa-torxes-diada-2018/

SEPT 11th
(In the morning)

  • Laying of the wreath by the President of Catalonia, and later by the President of the Parliament, to the Rafael de Casanova monument, a hero of the Catalan resistance. Located in Ronda de Sant Pere, 41 -not far from Arc de Triomf. In this day, institutions, civil associations, political parties and thousands of citizens pay homage to this historical figure by making flower offerings to his monument during the whole morning.

  • Open day at the Palau de la Generalitat -our equivalent to the White House, as in that has been the centre of power in Catalonia... since the 12th century :) - which is located in Plaça Sant Jaume, at the heart of the Old City, and also open day at the Parliament in the Parc de la Ciutadella. Both are very historical buildings worth visiting, yet expect a large number of visitors this day. They can also be visited on specific days during the month, also for free, but then pre-booking is necessary. See details https://presidencia.gencat.cat/en/ambits_d_actuacio/palau-de-la-generalitat/portes-obertes-al-palau/index.html and also https://www.parlament.cat/web/index.html

-end of part 2-

Posted by
2942 posts
  • Parade of historical units of the Catalan armies of the 18th century by the members of the Miquelets de Catalunya and La Coronela de Barcelona, two historical re-enactment associations: Cavalry units in La Ciutadella, Infantry units at Plaça Nova (in front of the Cathedral) then marching towards Plaça Sant Jaume, Reials Guàrdies Catalanes and gun salute at Plaça Sant Jaume, drills and singing of the Catalan National anthem at noon at the Fossar de Les Moreres, in front of Santa Maria del Mar church. To be frank, I think these well-intended military enthusiasts are far too strict on their schedules... they know, year after year, that is far too tight and normally there are delays on the parade due to the large affluence of the public in the streets of the centre of Barcelona during this day. Anyway, note this is a reenactment by private associations, not a government-sponsored act, thus don't expect the majesty and pomposity or the grandeur of military parades elsewhere. History buffs will thrill with the richness of the historical uniforms and their 18th-century weaponry, for the rest of mortals, it's a visually beautiful and fun thing to see. Period.

Some shots hereafter from parades in previous years ... yep, I really am a history buff, LOL!
https://vimeo.com/863087716

  • The large demonstration, the highlight of the day, will commence at 5:14pm exactly. Why? because we use 24h clocks here, and 5:14pm is 17h14", which is the year of the defeat of the city, Sep 11th, 1714. Hundreds of thousands will start gathering alongside that year's route (or routes!) Like every year, groups of castellers (human towers), traditional folk music and other heritage demonstrations will be offered by many of the participants. Every year there are many buses coming to this event with people from all over Catalonia, train lines have been reinforced with a large number of additional convoys throughout the day and there are over 2000 volunteers in the street that help to coordinate the event so it proceeds without a glitch -like every year, I must say. Albeit attendance vary from one year to the next -depending on many factors- previous demonstrations have gathered from 400,000 to 1.8 million people. No matter how you look at it, it's a lot of people!

  • At the end of the demonstration there are free music concerts by some of the best known Catalan pop groups in the music scene.

Enjoy, and visca Catalunya!

-end-

Posted by
351 posts

Thank you Enric!
I was in Barcelona on Sept 11 in 2004. I was totally uninformed about the significance of the day but after seeing flyers posted on walls, made my way to some of the sites. It was moving and interesting even with the limited understanding I had. It was before cell phones so I couldn't just google it. It would have been so good to have the background you posted. Even now, reading it gives me a better sense of how the historical context relates to contemporary politics in the region.

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