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Odd Catalonian Facts - Origin of the Catalonia Flag |
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| The Catalan Flag | The Spanish Flag |
Visit any town or village in Catalonia, and the Catalan flag will be everywhere, and they are particularly prominent on Saint George's Day (Catalonia shares its Patron Saint with many countries, including England, Ethiopia, Greece, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia). Being firercly independent, Catalans rarely fly the Spanish flag.
Firstly the Spanish flag: This is their 18th century Navy's ensign with the addition of the coat of arms. That's simple, but Catalonia's Flag, one of the oldest in the world, has disputed origins, but the most popularly believed is as follows:
According to legend the flag, comprising of four red stripes on a gold background, dates back to the 9th century was created when Wilfred the Hairy was laying, fatally wounded during the siege of Barcelona by the Lleida army in 877AD. His great ally, Charles the Bald, dipped four fingers into the Wilfred's wound and drew them across Wilfred's golden shield.
The stripes, which are of equal width, were originally displayed vertically or horizontally, but it is now a custom to opt for only vertical stripes.
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