Catalonia's tallest flag will be unveiled for the Diada

BarcelonaThis year's official events for Catalonia's National Day are full of changes. They all have one common denominator: greater solemnity and with the country's flag taking center stage. On the eve of September 11th, the kick-off of the celebration, there will be a solemn raising of the flag. the giant flag installed in front of the Parliament, in an event that recovers "the spirit of Maragall," according to sources from the panel. The enormous flagpole, installed by the chamber's panel and already a reality this Tuesday—at a cost of 93,000 euros—will be unveiled for the occasion. It measures a total of 25 meters in height, while the flag itself will measure six meters by nine, a total of 54 square meters. The flagpole is the tallest in all of Catalonia for a flag that will be displayed year-round, according to the sources consulted. However, it is much smaller than the Spanish flag in Madrid's Plaza Colón, which has a 50-meter pole and a fabric surface area of 294 square meters.

In addition, at its base will have a historical explanation of this national symbol, which is "one of the oldest," dating back to Count Ramon Berenguer IV. This tribute to the country's symbols by the panel will take the Diada as its starting point, but the flag will remain raised year-round. The flag raising last year, with Josep Rull as president of the Catalan chamber, took place in front of the Parliament with a portable pole and just before the delivery of the Medal of Honor from the Chamber of Deputies at the Monastery of Montserrat.

The commitment to solemnity will also be reflected in the presence of the Mossos d'Esquadra guerrilla force, which is recovering the long weapons that had disappeared during the previous term, as well as the honorary corps of the Guardia Urbana, just as the former president and former mayor of Barcelona had done during the first tripartite government. Drawing on the symbolism of France's national holiday, July 14, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille, Parliament has sought to promote National Day.

Rull has led this return to symbolism for the Catalan National Day at a table attended by the ERC and PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party). Therefore, the event the day before will now have its own identity and will no longer be the occasion for awarding the Parliament's medals of honor, which will be postponed to October. Thus, on September 10th, there will be an impressive event lasting 20 to 25 minutes with the flag as the sole protagonist. It will be at this moment that the Catalan flag will be presented to the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who, in fact, has provided the space for the flagpole in the Parc de la Ciutadella. In addition to Collboni, the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, and the President of the Parliament, Josep Rull, will participate with the table and other authorities and guests.

On the other hand, on the 10th, the Chamber will resume what it did from the 1980s until 2008: the reception of Catalan civil society at the Palau del Parlament. With these changes, promoted by the committee chaired by Rull, the Parliament will be in charge of the events on the 10th, and the Government of the 11th, although in both cases the events will take place "through dialogue." As every year, the Chamber's open day will take place on the 11th, which will host various Catalan popular culture activities.