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

[EnricM]

If you're in Barcelona tomorrow, Sept. 11th, or elsewhere in Catalonia, 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-draw 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, see this video from 2014

 

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, visiting Casa Batlló or La Pedrera on this day will be almost impossible after 2pm.

 

This year program includes, among other:

 

SEPT 10th

9:30 pm at El Born, the Government and Parliament of Catalonia will hold an institutional act set that pays homage to the Human Rights, Democracy and Freedom. More details

 

SEPT 11th

9:00 am 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.

 

9:00 am 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. At 9:00 Cavalry units at the Parc de la Ciutadella, 9:45 Infantry units at Plaça Nova (in front of the Cathedral) which will march towards Plaça Sant Jaume, 10:15 Presentation of the new regiment Reials Guàrdies Catalanes and gun salute at Plaça Sant Jaume, 10:30 parade of both infantry and cavalry towards the Monument of Rafael de Casanova, 11:15 return of the units to the area of El Born and Parc de La Ciutadella, with special mention of the parliaments, drills and singing of the Catalan National anthem at noon at the Fossar de Les Moreres, in front of Santa Maria del Mar church. The parade will end in Parc de la Ciutadella at 1pm. To be frank, I think these well-intended military enthusiasts are far too strict on the schedule... they know, year after year, that is far too tight and normally there are delays on the parade due to the large affluence of public in the streets of the center 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 from parades on previous years... yep, I really am a history buff, LOL!

• http://c8.alamy.com/comp/F249ET/barcelona-catalonia-spain-11th-sep-2015-the-miquelets-de-catalunya-F249ET.jpg
  
• http://mediacdnopen.cincopa.com/2eb16098-bc0d-4601-8a83-6eb25de98cde.jpg?o=4&res=1405&cdn=ec&p=y&pid=807496&ph4=KjgDAcVGbDgTnA
  
• https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIywRNXW4AA041m.jpg
  
• http://www.lavanguardia.com/r/GODO/LV/p3/WebSite/2016/09/11/Recortada/20160911-636091901884525118_20160911113411-155-kyK-U412366281385RE-992x558@LaVanguardia-Web.jpg
  
• https://ep00.epimg.net/cat/imagenes/2016/08/05/catalunya/1470383615_486706_1470385130_noticia_normal.jpg
  
• http://mediacdnopen.cincopa.com/7ed10afb-6a01-4e98-8b73-978acff6181b.jpg?o=4&res=1407&cdn=ec&p=y&pid=807496&ph4=KjgDAcVGbDgXUD
  
• http://mediacdnopen.cincopa.com/297ac003-0be7-427f-b00c-1267684b9689.jpg?o=4&res=1409&cdn=ec&p=y&pid=807496&ph4=KjgDAcVGbDQedB
  
• http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5bTDmBMDRFc/VNFbvv0TvBI/AAAAAAAABPc/VbtnHl48Yh8/s1600/10410774_1012121482137593_7983636079000306630_n.jpg
  
• http://www.lavanguardia.com/r/GODO/LV/p3/WebSite/2016/08/04/Recortada/img_memartinez_20160802-191506_imagenes_lv_otras_fuentes_coronela11072015-bisbe-328-k4s-U403692331217ieB-992x558@LaVanguardia-Web.jpg
  
• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--OeBI6KvTDQ/VMiifL60jXI/AAAAAAAABKY/a6rutLvAsFw/s1600/10911252_387965038052091_1995280780868260107_o.jpg
  

11:00 am-7:00 pm 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

in the Parc de la Ciutadella. Both are very historical buildings worthwhile visiting, yet expect a large number of visitors this day. They can also be visited on certain days during the month, also for free, but then pre-booking is necessary.

 

4:00 pm The large demonstration, the highlight of the day, will commence. Hundreds of thousands will start gathering along Passeig de Gràcia stretching to Plaça Catalunya and also at Carrer Aragó -two of the biggest avenues in Barcelona- to form a giant + (plus) sign on a carefully choreographed scenography very visually striking and on a very festive ambiance full of references to the coming indy referendum in October. Like every year, groups of Castellers, traditional folk music and other heritage demonstrations will be offered by many of the participants. There are over 2200 buses coming to this event with people from all over Catalonia, the train lines have been reinforced with a large number of additional convoys throughout the day and there are over 2500 volunteers in the street that will help to coordinate the event so it proceeds without a glitch -like every year, I must say. Note that in previous years, this event has congregated between 1.2 and 1.8 million people.

 

5:00 pm Four giant banners (55 ft x 55 ft each) will be displayed to support the coming referendum and the participants will display this year's bright yellow t-shirt. That'll be a unique photo opp for those photography aficionados to see a wave of hundreds of thousands.

 

5:40 pm in Plaça Catalunya, there'll be also a solemn commemorative act to remember the dead and injured of the jihadist terror attack occurred in Barcelona on August 17th this year in which 16 resulted killed and 130 injured.

 

From 6:30 pm there'll be performances by several music groups such as Txarango, Jarabe de Palo, Els Pets and Green Valley.

 

Enjoy, and visca Catalunya!

 

-end of post-

[VMax1700]

Eric,

What an interesting read! Thank you for taking the time to post this brief history.

 

Will there be any additional significance this year because of the decree by Sr Rajoy and the Madrid government last week?

[EnricM]

... we're not supposed to talk politics in this forum, or the moderators will spank our butts, LOL!

 

Yet... yes, of course, it will... and, I just shall say that if any politologist or historian is following this issue.... brace yourself, it's going to be a preeety interesting ride from now to Oct 1st.

[VMax1700]

... we're not supposed to talk politics in this forum, or the moderators will spank our butts, LOL!

 

Yet... yes, of course, it will... and, I just shall say that if any politologist or historian is following this issue.... brace yourself, it's going to be a preeety interesting ride from now to Oct 1st.

 

Yes, of course - No politics. However, I asked on the basis that there will be forum members sailing to/from Barcelona on 11th September and they may have had safety concerns as 'protests' have difference significance in different parts of the western world.

 

Anyway, hope you all have a good 'La Diada'.

[EnricM]

... I never used the word "protest".... in any case, does this seem unsafe?: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/6pNdr that's how La Diada is commemorated. Just focusing on say these past 7 years, between 1 and 2 million people attending every year... not one single incident -not even a minor one!- and, now that I'm writing once Sep 11th has already passed, neither this year :)

 

... btw, these are a few shots of earlier today in the rally: http://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/fotografies-recull-de-les-millors-imatges-de-la-diada-del-si-2017-11-setembre/

Edited September 11, 2017 by EnricM

[EnricM]

*UPDATE*

 

It only seemed fair to definitively close this thread by posting a video of what has been LA DIADA of Sept 11th, 2017.

 

 

The video is focused only on the big demonstration in the afternoon though.

 

So as to understand the magnitudes, Catalonia (the whole region) has a population of 7.5 million people, and this particular event -the demonstration- once more, congregated in its capital Barcelona roughly a million and a quarter people. Can you imagine nearly 60 million people marching down the streets of Washington? well, that's what happens in Barcelona every year. And for those interested: zero incidents, nil, zip, nada.

 

 

To those that were lucky enough to be visiting that day... did you enjoy the National Day of Catalonia?

Edited September 17, 2017 by EnricM

[sledhead]

*UPDATE*

 

It only seemed fair to definitively close this thread by posting a video of what has been LA DIADA of Sept 11th, 2017.

 

 

The video is focused only on the big demonstration in the afternoon though.

 

So as to understand the magnitudes, Catalonia (the whole region) has a population of 7.5 million people, and this particular event -the demonstration- once more, congregated in its capital Barcelona roughly a million and a quarter people. Can you imagine nearly 60 million people marching down the streets of Washington? well, that's what happens in Barcelona every year. And for those interested: zero incidents, nil, zip, nada.

 

 

To those that were lucky enough to be visiting that day... did you enjoy the National Day of Catalonia?

 

Hi there.

 

I just noticed your posts and am wondering if you can give me some insight or updates on what is happening with the protests that are going on right now. We are arriving in Barcelona this Wednesday and staying for 3 nights near Las Ramblas prior to getting on The Royal Princess Sept 30. Should we be concerned about this as far as tourists go or is there any advice you can provide?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Rob

[EnricM]

For the past weeks there have been a number of protests in Barcelona and across the whole region (Catalonia) with many thousands of protesters -and will continue to be until the Spanish government backs down its crackdown on Catalans' civil rights- but there have been zero incidents, except for a small group of 20 or so Spanish fascists that provoked some minor disturbances a couple of nights ago here in Barcelona and were quickly stopped by the Catalan police. This, however, can change if the 7000+ paramilitary Spanish police brought into the region start acting violently against protesters. This is all I can say as the situation is very fluid.

 

Since the Spanish main media is colluding with the authoritarian attitude of the Spanish government and covering up the events as they happen, I suggest following Catalan media instead, as it's reporting far more accurately and extensively what's really going on. These two major outlets offer an English version of their papers: http://www.elnacional.cat/en/ and https://english.vilaweb.cat/ Also, international media such as theguardian.com, www.nytimes.com and www.washingtonpost.com among others are reporting with more accuracy about the developments than the Spanish media. Sadly a large campaign of disinformation has been started by the Spanish intelligence services in the social networks thus it's advised to focus on reputable sources only such as the media mentioned earlier. I have to say that the US State Dept, as usual, has issued a warning... but again, the US State department one day will issue a warning because it is raining outside the US and you might get wet -ha!

 

With the understanding that my views and knowledge in the field is "tainted" by the fact I am Catalan and I support the freedom of my country, Catalonia -as those of you that follow me probably already guessed- I would like to convey that from the side of the protesters is highly unlikely that any violence will occur. For the last 10 years there have been massive protests on Sept 11th during "La Diada", the National Day of Catalonia, where several million attended the rallies to protest... and has NEVER been a single incident. For those curious, this is a video of 2014: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/6pNdr and this was this year's, just a two weeks ago,

with 1.3 million people, one-fifth of the whole region joined in the rally.

 

... and this was the impromptu protest four days ago when the Spanish paramilitary Guardia Civil police raided some offices of the Catalan Treasury... here the more "tense" moments a couple of hours or so after the raid

and this was 10 hours later

 

I also would like to remark the difference between a protest, a riot and an uprising.

 

I hope everybody understands this is merely an attempt to answer as accurately as possible to a legitimate question posted by a would-be visitor in this forum.

Edited September 24, 2017 by EnricM

[sledhead]

Thank you very much for that insight and the information. Hopefully all will be fine for my visit to your beautiful city. I have e waited many years to visit and I'm really looking forward to it.

 

I also hope for the best for you and all of the other cititzens whatever that may be and everyone can live in peace. Good luck!

[tartana]

Lol, we were there for that day - fortunately we arrived by noon and got to our hotel before the masses filled the streets. It was a very festive day. I can't begin to guess how many people were in the center of Barcelona - maybe even a million - it was crammed! Enric - thanks for all the insight on Barcelona. We stayed for 3 days, walked a large part of the city and loved every minute of it - Cheers!

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Why didn't I see this when you posted it. We landed on the 11th and our hotel was right in the middle of it all. Our taxi couldn't get within 10 blocks of our hotel. We had to walk through all the crowds with all our luggage (of course we overpacked!). Only to find a subway stop right outside our hotel. I would normally freak out but enjoyed being part of the celebration. Once we dropped of our luggage we ventured outside to enjoy the crowds. The drummer group was especially entertaining.

[Markham123]

Hi Enric,

I've been reading your very informative postings as I plan my pre-cruise stay in Barcelona and I came across this one. I currently have a reservation at Hotel LLeo and the departure date of my cruise is September 11. Can you please give me any tips that you may have around departure time to the port, and the best mode of transportation(public transit, taxi, private car). I'm currently thinking earlier in the day is better and taxi maybe a good bet. Will it be hard to get a taxi? How long do you think it will take to get to the port if we checkout around 10:30-11:00 am.

 

Thanks, Michelle.

[EnricM]

Hi Michelle, don't worry about that, the main rally is in the afternoon. And even then, it's always celebrated in a wide space (main avenues, etc) since gathering between 1.5 and 2 million citizens requires lots of it. None of those avenues is "in the way" to the Old Port from your hotel. For exact details on the activities of the day you'll have to wait until July or August as the "program" -so to speak- is not closed until then. Furthermore, this year, in particular, the commemoration might turn especially important due to the coup d'êtat the Spanish made a while ago against our legally elected Government institutions here in Catalonia.

 

If your cruise departs in the afternoon, you might want to join some of the activities in the morning. The way we celebrate the National Day of Catalonia it's something pretty different from yours. We do have plenty of remembrance and homage to heritage in a festive civic celebration mood. Stay tuned for the program and see which activities and where. You won't have the chance to experience that on the 4th of July :)

Edited March 2, 2018 by EnricM

[Markham123]

Thanks for the prompt reply Enric, it sounds like something I would love take part in but unfortunately my ship departs at 5. There is so much to see in your beautiful city that I'm sure I'll have to visit again. I have some questions about shopping, since I need my retail therapy so I will have to look for the appropriate thread for that.

Thanks again, Michelle

[EnricM]

Ok... fire away in a new thread :)

 

Note however that Sep 11th is a festive day, so shops won't be open anyway.