A Child's History of Catalonia
(With Apologies to the Historian in the Family)
(With Apologies to the Historian in the Family)
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| Catalonian Flag |
Once upon a time there was a wonderful country called Catalonia which lay between Spain and France along the Mediterranean coast. It included the beautiful Pyrenees Mountains and the great Mount Canigou which is said to possess magical powers. Catalonia had a very cool red and yellow striped flag and was fiercely independent, sort of like Texas. But unlike Texas, Catalonia was settled by Greeks and Romans!
Unfortunately for the Catalonians, great empires grew on either side, France to the North and Spain to the South. These two empires fought and fought and did not care what happened to beautiful and small Catalonia. Spain and France simply gobbled her up.
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| Mount Canigou |
Catalonians officially became Spanish or French, but they felt like neither. They felt they were still Catalonians. Both France and Spain tried to force the Catalonians to forget their ancestry. “Stop speaking that language!” But the Catalonians refused. “Stop singing those songs!” But the Catalonians refused. “Stop dancing that dance!” Still, the Catalonians refused, even though doing these things often resulted in their punishment and death. The Catalonians looked up at Mount Canigou and remembered their past and prayed for their future.
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| Franco |
Then in 1975 a very bad and mean dictator named Francisco Franco died, and the Catalonians rejoiced! “We can now speak our own language!” they cried. “We can now sing our own songs!” they cried. “We can keep dancing our special dance!” And from that day until this, when Catalonians gather together, they dance their special Catalonian dance called The Sardana. And this helps them remember that they are a great and noble people with a rich and marvelous history.
The Sardana
Every Sunday afternoon in Barcelona is a celebration of Catalonian history and independence. After Sunday mass the locals gather in front of the cathedral and, accompanied by live music, they dance The Sardana. And they dance. And they dance. It is a wondrous sight to behold.
The Sardana is danced in a circle facing inwards with the dancers holding hands. As new dancers arrive, they greet each other, stow their belongings inside the circle, and join the circle of dancers. The circle simply grows as people join. Most of the dancers appear elderly though there are participants of every age. Many know each other and greet each other warmly. This ritual is clearly a social affair as well as a statement of independence.
WE ARE CATALONIANS!
WE WILL DANCE OUR DANCE!
DO NOT THINK OF STOPPING US!
We watched the dancers for about 30 minutes. The circle grew and grew and then other circles were formed, some of which seemed quite proficient while others weren't as so. I watched closely. As far as I could tell there were three distinct parts to The Sardana. The first one seemed easy enough. The second one, too, seemed danceable. And the third part, well, it didn't last too long so maybe I could muddle through. I was so nervous. I didn't want to ruin their celebration, but I also didn't want to miss an opportunity like this. And in some odd way I thought I might be letting Rick Steves down if I didn't try it. (Rick Steves is my travel guru.) So I took a deep breath and, with heart wildly thumping, I tapped a lady on the shoulder to ask for admittance into the circle.Then I did it! I danced The Sardana in Barcelona. I wasn't “perfect” but I made it through. At one point I looked up to the spire of the cathedral and thought, “Can I really be doing this?” And I really was! What an absolute thrill!
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| I did it! |
After that dance and before the next, the lady to my right began giving me tips in a mixture of Catalonian and French. She was so nice, but I understood so little. When we began dancing again, a man in his 70's decided to join the circle on my left, and he began instructing me in English. He counted aloud and, unfortunately, OFF BEAT, and everyone within earshot hollered at him to stop talking. It was hilarious! After the dance he asked where I was from. When I told him America, he threw out his arms and bellowed, “Florida!” and he hugged me!
What an occasion. What a memory. And what a beautiful way to tell the world how proud you are to be Catalonian. We Texans could learn a thing or two.
I think there is a children's book in that post. Just add illustrations and you're ready to publish!
ReplyDeleteKaren, thank you. A children's book would really be fun to write, don't you think? (I really like your name, BTW!)
ReplyDelete