La Diada,

It all started on the 11th of September 1714,  when in a very divided Spain, king Philip V won the war against the Aragonese troops, who defended the Hapsburg dynasty’s  claim for the throne of Spain. The final battle was lost at the siege of Barcelona where King Philip V of Spain won the fight over the kingdom of Aragon and claimed the Catalonian lands. The national day of Catalonia  – or as it’s known here  – “La Diada” was officially first celebrated in 1886. Initally it was a catholic ceremony in memory of those who fell in battle. Later on this holiday would be supressed by the dictator Franco , who banned all acts of commemoration  of the defeat of the Aragon army,  an offence punishable with a fine or even jail. Once the dictatorship ended in 1975 , the commemoration, which was more of a celebration , was brought back  5 years later, in 1980 by the independence  movements of Catalonia. Traditionally independent groups and political parties make  floral offerings to the fallen in battle mainly at the “Fossar de les Moreres.” Here the Catalans pay homage to the people who defended the villages and people of Catalonia and fought for the right of choice and independence from Spain.