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| National Day of Catalonia (Catalan:Diada Nacional de Catalunya) | |
|---|---|
 Floral offerings at the monument toRafael Casanova on Barcelona'sRonda de Sant Pere, 2005. Casanova was one of the Catalan commanders during theSiege of Barcelona. | |
| Official name | Diada Nacional de Catalunya |
| Also called | Diada, Onze de Setembre |
| Observed by | Catalonia (Spain) |
| Type | National day |
| Significance | Commemorates the last stand of the defense ofBarcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714. |
| Celebrations | Flag hoisting, floral offerings, singing patriotic songs andEls Segadors, speeches, demonstrations, entertainment and cultural programs |
| Date | 11 September |
| Frequency | annual |
| Catalan /Valenciancultural domain |
|---|
Language |
Government and politics |
Music and performing arts |
Sport |
TheNational Day of Catalonia[1] (Catalan:Diada Nacional de Catalunya[diˈaðənəsi.uˈnaldəkətəˈluɲə]), also known as theDiada, is a day-long festival inCatalonia and one of its officialnational symbols, celebrated annually on 11 September. It is one of thepublic holidays in Catalonia.
It commemorates the end of the siege ofBarcelona during theWar of the Spanish Succession in 1714 and the subsequent loss of Catalan institutions and laws.[2]
After the evacuation of thepro-Habsburg armies from Spain at the end of theWar of the Spanish Succession, as a result of thePeace of Utrecht (1713) in which theBourbon pretenderPhilip V was recognized king of the Iberian dominions of theSpanish Monarchy, thePrincipality of Catalonia unilaterally decided to remain in the war by decision of itsJunta de Braços (Catalan assembly ofEstates) on 9 July 1713, in order to protect theCatalan constitutions and lives from the expected repression. After months of intense fighting, theArmy of Catalonia raised for that purpose, as well theCoronela (urban militia) of Barcelona were finally defeated at theSiege of Barcelona by the combined Spanish and French armies on 11 September 1714 after 14 months of siege, in which the Head Councillor (mayor) of Barcelona,Rafael Casanova, was severely wounded during the defence of the wall. The subsequent promulgation of theNueva Planta decrees (1716) abolished most of the Catalan constitutions and institutions (among them theCatalan Courts, theGeneralitat, and theConsell de Cent), meaning the end of thePrincipality of Catalonia as a separate state,[3] becoming a province of acentralized Kingdom of Spain reorganized as a French-inspiredabsolute monarchy.[4]
The holiday was first celebrated on 11 September 1886. In 1888, coinciding with the inauguration of theBarcelona Universal Exposition, a statue in honor of Rafael Casanova was set up, which would become the point of reference of the events of the Diada. The celebration gained popularity over the following years; the Diada of 1923 was a great mass event, with more than a thousand floral offerings, acts throughout Catalonia and a certain institutional participation. But the demonstrations caused 17 wounded, five policemen and 12 protesters, and several arrests. The dictatorship ofPrimo de Rivera banned the celebration. During theSecond Spanish Republic (1931–1939), theGeneralitat de Catalunya (the autonomous government of Catalonia established in 1931) institutionalized the celebration.[5] The National Days that took place during theSpanish Civil War (1936, 1937 and 1938) had a markedanti-fascist character and the anarchist trade unionCNT took part of the celebrations.[6]
It was suppressed, as part of theanti-Catalan policies, by theFrancoist dictatorship in 1939, relegated to the family and private sphere where the holiday continued to be celebrated clandestinely. The monument of Rafael Casanova was removed. Since 1940 theNational Front of Catalonia took advantage of the day to carry out some propaganda actions: distribution of anti-fascist leaflets, clandestine hanging of Catalan flags, etc. It was celebrated again publicly for the first time on 11 September 1976, one year after the death of Francisco Franco, being followed the next year bya huge demonstration in Barcelona demanding the restitution of Catalan self-government, in which the Casanova's statue was repositioned in its place, and the celebration was reinstated officially in 1980 by the Generalitat de Catalunya, upon its reestablishment after theSpanish transition to democracy, being the first law approved by the also restoredParliament of Catalonia.[7]
Catalan organizations, political parties and institutions traditionally lay floral offerings at monuments of those who led the defence of the city such as Rafael Casanova andGeneral Moragues, marking their stand against the Bourbon kingPhilip V of Spain. Typically,Catalan pro-independence organizations carry demonstrations and meet at theFossar de les Moreres in Barcelona, where they pay homage to the defenders of city who died during the siege and were buried there.
Throughout the day, there are patriotic demonstrations and cultural events in many Catalan villages and many citizens wavesenyeres andestelades. The event has become more explicitly political and particularly focused on independence rallies in the 2010s.[8]
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This group of states comprised the kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, and Majorca, the principality of Catalonia, and the counties of Roussillon and Cerdagne; further afield it embraced the kingdoms of Sicily and Sardinia. These states had no common institutions or bonds save allegiance to a common sovereign
