My national anthem

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I’ve called myself Susie Catalana or La Reina de la Muntanya Baixa (Queen of the low mountain), and lately I was given the moniker of Empordenca or dona de l’Empordà (woman of the Empordà). The Empordà is the far northeastern corner of Catalunya bordering France where Begur sits. I don’t know if I believe in past lives (sorry Shirley MacLaine), but if there is such a thing, I think I may have had a past life here. How else would the feeling of belonging be so strong? I used to think I had a past life in Spain, but to be a Catalana feels right.

The Catalan people are known for many qualities, generalizations, of course – they are cheap (savers), proud, stubborn (a burro is the symbol they stick on the back of their cars), guarded, and cliquish. They say Catalans are “closed” at first, but that once you’re friends, you’re friends for life. I hope that is true! But the traits I see most, and would like to say I identify with, are determination, a love of freedom, and bravery.

Maybe all countries/cultures have as many shared symbols, customs, and past-times, but I think the Catalans have more! Look at this video…it’s in Catalan, but the images are meaningful without words…all the things that make Catalunya Catalunya!!! Watch till the end, it’s less than three minutes. It’s so good I’ve watched it many times. I tried for hours, literally all day, to insert the video directly without having to include a link, but surprise, I am not a techno-nerd. Hopefully one of these two links will work for you.

Link to the video Visca Catalunya (Long live Catalunya)!! A post shared by Sos Català (@sos.catala)

Catalan history explains a lot about the characteristics of its people. I won’t go into it here as it has been my experience that when I load up a blog with history, I get fewer “likes”! I guess your eyes are glazing over. I try. I’ll just say that the Catalans have experienced their fair share of repression over the centuries, and yet the culture endures. There is a pride, a defiance, a shared national identity and spirit that holds them together and that I find inspiring. Trying to learn the Catalan language and learn about and participate in their culture have definitely been the most rewarding parts of my senior year journey!

Probably the most well-known symbol of Catalunya is the Sagrada Familia. A couple of weeks ago, they added part of the Cross of Jesus, which is among the finishing touches to the Basilica, scheduled to be completed in 2027. The completion date has been delayed several times, most recently by the Pandemic! It’s such a marvel and all paid for with private funds. I’ve added another video showing the placement of the cross on the top. If you have time to watch, it is cool! This is the BBC’s coverage on Youtube. Sorry for the commercial at the beginning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UqL_5eLh30