Catalan Pride I

July 10th ..demonstration: We are a nation, we decide!

Between 1.100.000 – 1.500.000 Catalans, depending on who is giving the news, attended to a demonstration in Barcelona streets due to a resolution from the Spanish Constitutional Court cutting our new Estatut (Catalan Constitution) 4 years after it’s been approved by the Catalan Parliament!!

But what amazes me is that no shouting or posters against the judgment...the slogans were.. In In de Independència...IN in de INDEPENDENCE.... that's what you get when you corner moderate people..now we all know there's no room...

The demonstration was made as we are, in a pacific way, on a saturday afternoon in July, so from the 7 million population of Catalunya, more than a million people walked out to let politicians know what we feel. July 10th ..demonstration: We are a nation, we decide!

Among the things we do not agree from the judgement is that they do not want us to define ourselves as a nation…when we are… as you can see the signs or posters say we are a nation, not we want to be one or we feel like being one. We are a nation within another nation, because once that happened...but we have never, never forgot who we are.

Also we do not agree in other parts cutting language and self-ruling issues

The thing is that Catalunya is not the only nation within Spain...but seems the most feared..I guess because of the economical power we have...is still the main motor...

Els segadors (the harvesters) is the Catalan National Hymn, I reproduce it here so you can see the wording, and is what sounds in the previous video attached (sorry for the translation..I guess is not very professional...)

Catalunya, triomfant, Triumphant Catalonia
tornarà a ser rica i plena, shall be again rich and full

Endarrera aquesta gent move back that people
tan ufana i tan superba! so conceited and so arrogant!

Bon cop de falç! A precise knock with the sickle!
Bon cop de falç,defensors de la terra! A precise knock with the sickle, defenders of the land!
Bon cop de falç! A precise knock the sickle!

Ara és hora, segadors! Now is the time, harvesters!
Ara és hora d'estar alerta! Now is the time to be alert!
Per quan vingui un altre juny For when another June comes
esmolem ben bé les eines! We shall well sharpen our tools!


Que tremoli l'enemic Let the enemy tremble
en veient la nostra ensenya On seeing our flag
com fem caure espigues d'or, as we cut gold spikes,
quan convé seguem cadenes! when necessary we cut chains!



The melody music as it sounds, is from 1892, although the lyrics were from an existent song singed during the 1640’s Catalan rebellion against Felipe IV. (First Catalan written evidence is from S. XI.)

We are in 2010, since the feeling against being annexed to Spain exists and has not been overcomed…we subsist within Spain if you do not push us with our language, culture, business… but if you touch any sensible issue…we all reborn as proud Catalans… It's a latent issue...

L'estaca....The Stake Song...

The stake or post, is a symbol for the Catalans about the resistance against Franco’s dictatorship, where we, as always, needed to be controlled, yeah, we’re the prosper ones so feared for that as we take, day by day our decisions. Composed in 1968, the song is about a conversation between a grandfather called Siset and his grandson.. you can see the irony/rethorical wording…questions and indications to solve the problem…

L'avi Siset em parlava Grandpa Siset told me
de bon matí al portal early in the morning, by the doorway
mentre el sol esperàvem while waiting the sun
i els carros vèiem passar. And watched the carts pass by

Siset, que no veus l'estaca , Siset don’t you see the stake
on estem tots lligats? where we all are tied?
Si no podem desfer-nos-en If we cannot get rid of it
mai no podrem caminar! We shall never walk

Si estirem tots, ella caurà If we all pull, it will fall
i molt de temps no pot durar, and won’t be able to last long,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba surely it will fall, fall, fall
ben corcada deu ser ja. Must already be rotten

Si jo l'estiro fort per aquí If I pull hard towards here
i tu l'estires fort per allà, and you pull hard towards there,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, surely it will fall, fall, fall
i ens podrem alliberar. and we shall be free

Però, Siset, fa molt temps ja, But Siset, since a long time ago
les mans se'm van escorxant, my hands are pealed
i quan la força se me'n va and when strength leaves me
ella és més ampla i més gran. It becomes wider and bigger

Ben cert sé que està podrida Sure I know its rotten
però és que, Siset, pesa tant, but Siset, it is so heavy
que a cops la força m'oblida. That sometimes strength leaves me
Torna'm a dir el teu cant: tell me again your song

Si estirem tots, ella caurà If we all pull, it will fall

i molt de temps no pot durar, and won’t be able to last long,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba surely it will fall, fall, fall

ben corcada deu ser ja. Must already be rotten

Si jo l'estiro fort per aquí If I pull hard towards here

i tu l'estires fort per allà, and you pull hard towards there,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, surely it will fall, fall, fall

i ens podrem alliberar. and we shall be free

L'avi Siset ja no diu res, Grandpa Siset does not say a thing
mal vent que se l'emportà, bad wind took him
ell qui sap cap a quin indret who knows to where
i jo a sota el portal. and I'm still by the doorway

I mentre passen els nous vailets And while new teens pass by
estiro el coll per cantar I stretch my neck to be able to sing
el darrer cant d'en Siset, the last Siset's song
el darrer que em va ensenyar. the last he tought me.

he

Si estirem tots, ella caurà If we all pull, it will fall
i molt de temps no pot durar, and won’t be able to last long,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba surely it will fall, fall, fall
ben corcada deu ser ja. Must already be rotten

Si jo l'estiro fort per aquí If I pull hard towards here
i tu l'estires fort per allà, and you pull hard towards there,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, surely it will fall, fall, fall
i ens podrem alliberar. and we shall be free taught me