National Day of Catalonia

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Floral offerings to the monuments of the commander in chief of the Catalan troops during the Siege of Barcelona Rafael Casanova in Barcelona
Fossar de les Moreres, general view
A giant seafood Paella, being cooked on the National Day of Catalonia 2003 in the village square of Cornudella de Montsant.

The National Day of Catalonia (Catalan: Diada Nacional de Catalunya [diˈaðə nəsiuˈnaɫ də kətəˈɫuɲə]) is a day-long festival in Catalonia. It commemorates the defeat of the Catalan troops fighting during the War of the Spanish Succession. The Catalan troops that fought in support of the Habsburg dynasty's claim to the Spanish throne were defeated at the Siege of Barcelona by the army of the Bourbon king Philip V of Spain on 11 September 1714 after 14 months of siege. The holiday was first celebrated in 11 September 1886, was supressed by the Franco dictatorship in 1939 and reinstated in 1980 by the government of Catalonia, the Generalitat de Catalunya, upon its restoration after the Franco dictatorship.[1]

Independentist organizations and political parties traditionally lay floral offerings at the monuments of the leaders of the defence of the city Rafael Casanova and General Moragues for their fight against the king Philip V of Spain. Typically, Catalan nationalists organize demonstrations and meet at the Fossar de les Moreres of Barcelona, where they pay homage to the defenders of city who died during the siege and were buried there. Throughout the day, there are independentist demonstrations and cultural events in most of Catalan villages and many citizens wave senyeres and estelades.

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[edit] External links

  1. ^ "Onze de Setembre", in: Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana (online)