The Catalans

        It is not recommended to generalize them, as it would not be exact. The Catalans can be both nice and unsociable, reconcilable and hospitable, mafia, creative, hard-working, passive, talkative, polite, worried, sentimental, bureaucratic, absent-minded, suspicious, generous, obstinate, ingenuous, cheerful, short-tempered, uncivilized, courteous…We are seven million of different people, living on the same land. We, Catalans, laugh, cry, rummage in the rubbish bins, investigate advanced technologies, slaughter pigs or make a teat bottle for a homeless kitten. We pray, we amuse ourselves, raise human towers (“castells”), we dance sardanes, play the piano, we live in spacious chalets or minute flats, we go mad with the magic of football and among us there are even those, who have dark skin. What differs us from other peoples? Probably nothing, if you look at the genetics map. The difference is just in landscape, language and culture. I think, that the main part of the Catalans is a happy nation. Moreover, I affirm that in the majority the people living in Catalonia are nice and kind, with a few exceptions. If a person of another culture wishes to maintain his traditions here, a greater part of Catalans will not be against it. They will always respect this decision unless it violates the main rules of cohabitation, as we, Catalans, are very tolerant and we are proud of the fact that our nation was formed by numerous cultures. Carthaginians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Jews and Visigoths left their tracks in our genetics… Judging by the remains, found in the caves of the town of Banyoles, Neanderthal troglodytes had already at that time used our lake town as a spa resort.

        The very fact that we defend our roots, our traditions, culture, language and - as a consequence – our authenticity as a nation quite well, increases sensitivity and dislikes.

        Sometimes the Catalans become victims of some unfair prejudicies. We are called peceters (originated from the word “peceta” – Spanish monetary unit of pre-euro times) - I have no idea how it sounds now after having been converted into euro – and egoists, but Catalonia has always given more, than it received back for financing its needs.

        When you ask any Spanish about Catalans, you may hear the word “miser”, while actually the Catalans are generous and tolerant. Probably, we just cannot “sell” us properly. If you ask any Catalan about the same, he will say:”sense”, “catalan sanity”. We say that Catalans are reasonable. The word “sanity” (“seny”- in Catalan) for the Catalans is a cabalistic one, a short abracadabra, which both blinds, dims and confuses us. In Wikipedia this word is interpreted as “mental weighing” or “healthy mental capacity, assuming a fair assessment, perception, understanding and actions”. Our local philosopher Eugeni d’Ors also tried to define it as ”a defense system against biological disorder of unknown origin”.And as demonstration of Catalan sanity this definition suits it perfectly well.Numerous small ornamentals of the Music Palace, steeples of the Holy Family Temple, that look like cannabis leaves, street lights of Gracia Boulevard, Salvador Dali’s buns and clocks, the symbol of Barcelona-92 – all these things can make one doubt our sanity. When the fame of our artists crossed the state border, the reason of it was not the above mentioned common sense, rather on the contrary. Our history, rich in events, can be glorious, but not prudent by any means.

        Our traditions are not very prudent either: to climb one over another, thus challenging both the gravity and the common sense; to stand in a circle, holding hands and dancing while looking after each other’s purses; to lose fingers on St.Joan day because of spitdevils explosions (we call them petards); to bake Easter chocolate towers; to repeat celebration the next day after Christmas in a family circle, though with the inflamed liver; to pay the whole fortune for four chestnuts, burnt till the coal state, for an outlandish potato and marzipan balls with pine nuts…Should I continue?

        However, note: our human towers, sardanes, our national feast on the 11 of September, when we joined hands thus connecting the opposite ends of Catalonia. We, Catalans, have made it a tradition to give a hand, And to you, our freand, as well.

The professional historian
Xavier Cristófol