Catalunya
Catalunya is not Spain but a separate, distinct country. So say the
Catalans - and with good reason. It has its own language, its own
customs, a thriving historic capital and a hard-working mentality far
removed from the 'mañana, mañana' procrastinations often associated
with Spain.
Shaped roughly like a triangle, Catalunya is a diverse region of
(often avant-garde) urbanisation, mountains, beaches and farmland,
proud of its political and artistic heritage, and its modernism.
Bounded by the Pyrenees to the north, the Mediterranean to the east,
and the River Ebro, running diagonally between them, it consists of
four provinces: Girona in the north, Lleida in the west, Tarragona in
the south and Barcelona in the north.
Tourists flock to the area, some to the countryside, others to beach
resorts like Lloret de Mar, and Blanes. Still more travel to the
vibrant city of Barcelona where the medieval Gothic cathedrals, Gaudi's
magnificent modernist structures and the beachside Olympic and Forum
2004 developments stun the eye.
Catalunya's biggest tourist attraction, however, is the FC Barcelona
museum at the Nou Camp stadium. Unlike much of mainland Iberia,
Catalunya was not colonised by the Moors.
Before the unification of Spain, Barcelona was the capital of an
empire which stretched to Athens. Its subsequent decline, and the
political dominance of the peninsular by Madrid, is keenly felt by the
people in the region. Catalanisme is a widespread movement to promote
Catalan independence - at its forefront is Joan Laporta, since 2003 the
president of FC Barcelona.
Laporta's club is, and always has been, a major symbol of Catalan
nationalism, supported by most of the football fans in the region: a
recent survey suggested that 65 percent of the population follow Barça.
Eighteen percent of the rest, mainly migrants from the Franco era,
support Real Madrid and only three percent are up for Espanyol,
Barcelona's other Primera team, whose hard-core fans, Las Brigadas
Blanquiazules, hate FC Barcelona and Catalanisme, welcome Madrid, and
carry Spanish flags to the game, some bearing the (illegal) black eagle
of Franco.
For the vast majority for whom football means Barça, there is no
occasion when the hatred of their political, economic and historical
bondage to the 'oppressive' capital of Madrid bursts out more than when
Real Madrid come to play in the awesome Nou Camp.
To these fans, Madrid are the team of General Franco, who, keen to
unify the country he dictated from 1939 to his death in 1975, sought to
destroy Catalanisme, to eradicate the language and customs of the
region, forcing into exile those opponents he didn't execute or throw
into prison.
Since El Generalisimo's death, Catalan culture has flourished, and
the previously illegal Reapers Song, a ballad celebrating the Catalan
peasants' revolt against billeted Spanish troops in 1640, has become
the official national anthem. The song, which Laporta once played
before the clasico against Madrid, describes what the Catalan rebels
should do to the Madrid-financed invading soldiers:
'Drive them off, these people,
So conceited and arrogant,
A good blow of the sickle,
Defenders of the land,
A good blow of the sickle.'
TALK TALK
Catalan, used in all state schools and the mother-tongue of 60
percent of the population, is akin to the French dialect Provençal.
'Please' is 'si's plau'; 'thank you' is 'merci'.
FUNNY FOLK
Ridiculed by the rest of the country, the Catalans are fond of the
Sardana (folk dancing), which consists of groups of people forming
circles and placing objects within them, thereby demonstrating unity
and sharing. It's a tame affair, so both young and old can participate
together.