We here at ComeToBarcelona want to wish all of you a happy and peaceful La Diada- or the National Day of Catalunya. This day is especially significant to Catalans because it represents the day, in 1714, when soldiers fighting for the Bourbon monarchy conquered the city of Barcelona- effectively ending Catalunya's era of substantive self-governance. For on this day the institutions, rights, and lands of the Crown of Catalunya and Aragon were abolished by the victorious Bourbon force, effectively ending the War of Spanish Succession.

Hanging the Estelada from one's balcony is a common sight on La Diada

For more than 30 years, during the dicatorship of Franco, the observance of this national holiday was prohibited. Finally, after the restoration of democracy and the Generalitat (the Catalan government), the festival was once agin permitted to be celebrated. In fact in 1980, as its first official act, the newly restored Generalitat proclaimed La Diada (September 11th) as the national holiday of Catalunya.

Today is a very political holiday, and there are several memorials, rallies, and concerts occurring throughout the city. Many citizens hang senyeres or estelades from their windows and balconies as a show of support for Catalan self-determination. If you are here today, you will make many more friends if you understand the history and significance of this day, than if you don't.

So celebrate Catalunya, and an official holiday, and make sure you've got your apartment in Barcelona to do so!