“La Diada Catalunya” – National Day of Catalonia:
Try visiting Barcelona around September 11th. Why? Cause this day commemorates the defeat of Barcelona at the hands of Bourbon monarchy. Later, in 1980, the Spanish Government restored Catalonia and September 11th was declared as the National Day of Catalonia. Since then, every year the Catalan nationalists pay homage to the monuments of the war heroes, General Moragues and Rafael Casanova at Fossar de las Moreres.
People of Catalonia get on to the streets to demonstrate their sense of unity and desire for independence. They also conduct various concerts, parades and political demonstrations.
They also have a music concert, where in they sing their national anthem “Els Segadors”. This song strongly reflects the revolt (also known as “Guerra dels Segadors” or the Reapers War) of the peasants against the King Philip IV of Spain. “Els Segadors” was declared the national anthem of Catalonia on 25 February 1993. Emili Guanyavents has written the modern lyrics of this song.
You will see the Catalan flags “la Senyera” proudly floating on every balcony. The history of this flag goes back to the 9th century and is one of the oldest flags being used. As per a legend, King Charles the Bald drew the four red bars with the blood of Wilfred I the Hairy (count of Barcelona) on a golden shield as an act of gratitude for his bravery.
Lastly, do not miss the famous human pyramids, also known as “castells”! This is a famous sport and also tradition of Barcelona. Castellers build a human tower with the support of one another. Finally, one person climbs to the top of the tower and raises one hand and points four fingers to the sky (except his thumb) thus symbolizing the Catalonia flag.
Car hire in Barcelona is provided by Avis, Hertz, Europcar, and Atesa.

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