Diada Nacional de Catalunya

La Diada Nacional de Catalunya is held every year on 11 September. It commemorates the fall of Barcelona in 1714, the decisive siege at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. In Barcelona, the morning is marked by official ceremonies and floral offerings at the monument to Rafael Casanova, a senior defender of the city, and at the Fossar de les Moreres memorial. The Generalitat, the Parliament, city councils, political parties, unions and neighborhood groups take turns laying wreaths. Many people arrive with senyeres, and institutional acts often include the Catalan anthem, “Els Segadors,” along with speeches that frame the day as remembrance and civic affirmation.

Later in the day, town squares and major avenues fill with public events. Local programs may include castells, sardanes, concerts or children’s activities, while Barcelona has often hosted large afternoon demonstrations, especially in the pro-independence years after 2012. The exact route and slogan can change from year to year, but the visual language is consistent: red-and-yellow flags, estelades, campaign T-shirts and bunches of flowers. Around castells, learners may hear the shrill gralles that accompany the climb. People commonly wish each other “Bona Diada,” and the mood mixes tribute to those who died in 1714 with a very present-day statement of Catalan identity.

The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.