Monday, September 9th, marked the first day of school (hooray!) but it is cut short by a day off today; Wednesday, September 11th, otherwise known as Díada de Catalunya (Catalan Day in Catalan). This is a regional holiday celebrated only in the region of Catalunya, marking not a victory, but rather the loss of Catalunya in 1714 at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, and subsequently the loss of Catalonian rights and independence.
Being of American descent, my European history is pretty much limited to the American perspective of the World Wars. I did not know of this “War of the Succession” and wondered why something that happened so long ago - and a loss at that - would be nationally recognized.
There is very little information about this day available in English, so what I’ve been able to parse together using Google Translate, my limited Spanish, and the English translation of the Wikipedia page on the matter follows; I cannot be held responsible for any accuracy in this matter at all.
King Charles the II of Spain died in 1700 without having children, and who took the throne next would have significant impacts on the balance of power in Europe, even though at this point Spain had faltered as a dominating force. However, Spain held power in parts of the Netherlands (did you know “Spanish Netherlands” was a thing?), much of Italy as well as the Americas, so there was definite interest in what would happen next.
This boils down to a war between the Habsburgs and the Bourbons as to who would take control of Spain. Charles II had named Phillip, the Bourbon grandson of Louis XIV of France, as his heir in his will, but the Archduke Charles of Austria (Habsburg) felt it should go to him, for reasons that were probably more significant than sharing a first name with the deceased king.
France and most of Spain were vying for the Bourbons and the British, Dutch Republic, and Austria were wanting a Habsburg on the throne. So naturally, when Phillip claimed the throne, 14 years of war ensued, featuring mini-wars in the Americas as well as Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
My understanding is that this war went on until the Archduke Charles became the Holy Roman Emperor after the death of his brother in 1711, at which point the British pulled out of the war and everything kind of crumbled over the next couple of years, with various treaties being signed and Phillip taking the throne. This was when Spain lost it’s hold over Italy, and the Spanish Netherlands ceased to exist. I believe the Catalan region was expecting Phillip to deny them their right to be as they always had been and intended to force the area to ‘become Spanish’, which they vehemently opposed. They ignored the end of the war and continued to fight against the Spanish until Barcelona was taken over on the 11th of September, 1714. And, as they expected, in losing Barcelona they lost their government, judicial system, and independence as an autonomous region.
Ironically, because part of the treaties proclaimed that no one person could rule both France and Spain, shortly after Phillip took the throne relinquished it, as a series of deaths in the family left a toddler in charge of France and he was next in line if the kid died. So that was much ado for nothing in the end.
Catalan nationalists have recognized this day since the late 1800s, at times very covertly due to repression by multiple dictatorships that have been in place. It was not until 1980 that it became a recognized holiday in the area to acknowledge that Catalunya as a unique region (and one that is decidedly NOT Spain).
What many don’t understand is that Catalunya is older than Spain, going back (in print, anyway) to as early as the 1100’s. The borders of what we know of Spain has historically been many different kingdoms within the Iberian Peninsula. Castellano, the language anyone outside of Spain simply refers to as Spanish, is the language of Castille and ended up dominating, but many languages existed on this peninsula before Ferdinand and Isabella united these separate kingdoms into what we recognize as Spain today.
What does one do to mark the day they lost their independence?
They go to the beach.
At least, that is what we did. Monday I received a text from a mom at my son’s school, inviting me to the beach on Wednesday. I didn’t know if the kids would be in school or not, so there was a bit of back and forth until I realized this was not “Mom’s Day at the Beach” but rather a place to take the kids so they don’t drive you crazy on their day off. All in all, there ended up being at least 17 children and perhaps a dozen or so adults out at San Marti de Empuries where the sand is softer, the waves a bit bigger, and the crowds sparse.
What I love is that someone can make a decision on Sunday, send a text out Monday, and have over 30 people show up on Wednesday. This is how it goes here. Kids’ birthday parties are often announced just a couple days before they happen, and yet they still happen!
This beach is about 45 minutes, so we were out from late morning to mid-afternoon, with enough time to come back and grab a snack before hitting evening work hours. Both hubby and I work US hours, but I don’t have calls until later this evening.
I also learned today that a beach bar is called a “Chiringuito” here in Spain. It is not called this in Mexico, but suspiciously sounds like “chingónito”, which would mean “little badass” in Mexico. Chiringuitos typically serve fried food, beer, cocktails, ice cream bars, and other crap food, but this one also had grilled fish and octopus. I was excited for the sardines, which were so mild my son declared they “weren’t bad” and that he would “eat them before starving”. That, my friends, is very high praise!
The kids at the beach largely kept to themselves and took care of themselves. My son’s cohort went out into the waves and jumped out among them. It feels so good to see him with a group of friends, having a good time, and integrating well with a community that has the time to, well, commune.
We met a new family, ‘fresh off the boat' who have been here less than a month. Kiddo actually was the first to meet them, helping them find their place during summer camp. It turns out the wife, N. went to college the same place that my husband did, and at about the same time. Her husband also shares my husband’s uncommon name, and they have been living in Mexico the last four years. We are meeting them for brunch on Saturday and will get more of their story. When I offered to take her to my favorite grocery stores in town, you’d think I’d invited her to a private tour of Buckingham Palace! I think we’ll be fast friends.
We came back from the beach with enough time to shower and get ready for work. I took my son out to find an open restaurant for a meal to go, as he polished off the leftovers I’d planned for dinner at breakfast. On the way back, we came across a band playing traditional Catalan music, and locals gathered about in several small circles doing the traditional dance of the area, the Sardana.
These dances are to be expected at every Catalan holiday. Likely there were demonstrations from the Independence party as well as well as additional concerts and exhibits throughout the city.
All in all, it was a very satisfying day. We continue to feel so deeply fortunate to have moved to such a beautiful place, with friendly and welcoming people, and to have this experience of a more reasonably paced life.
Wow! What a wonderful day! You are so lucky to live a reasonable drive away from a nice beach. We spent Catalonia Day in the Collserola National Park with friends—great times! Thank you for the history lesson. I have read here and there about Catalan history, but I really need to sit down one week and just read as much as I can.