The Balearic Islands- Early History

Okay I have been completely USELESS and haven’t done a blog in a while now, so I’m hoping to catch up by doing a little series on the Balearics because it’s a catalan speaking region that I know little about and thought would be interesting to look at! Going to do a few blogs on it so that it’s not all in one go and I apologise Laia if I get anything wrong!
First off I’m going to have a little look at the ancient history of the Balearic Islands, which I found both quite interesting and quite funny (probably because it appeals to my rather immature sense of humour!). The earliest recorded writings about the Balearics and the people that lived there come from the Greeks (Who called the islands Gymnasiae) and the Romans (who called the islands Baleares) and both names have different legends behind their origins.
The name Gymnasiae derives from the greek word gymnos which means “Naked” and this came from the legend that the people leaving on the islands would spend the summer months naked due to the warm climate in which they lived (Can you see why I laughed a little? Especially since the same greek word is the origin for our word “Gymnasium”- by rights we should all work out in the nude! =P).
The name Baleares has a less funny but still interesting origin- it comes from the Latin for “to launch” and this refers to the islanders’ famous skills as slingers. They were trained from a young age (mothers wouldn’t allow their sons to eat until they had knocked their bread off a post with a sling!) wore three slings of differing lengths and sizes that allowed them to hurl different sized stones at the enemy and they were famed for seldom missing their target. They were so good that they were used by Roman, Carthaginian and Greek generals, and some historians have suggested that the Greek name Gymnasiae actually refers to the fact that the islanders wore little armour into battle in comparison to their heavily armoured hoplites (although I still think the first legend is better!).
Not a lot else is known of the earliest inhabitants of the island except that they had little interest in precious metals, preferring wine and women as payment for the military services, and they were invaded and controlled by both the Carthaginians and the Romans at different points in their history. Under these empires the islands flourished: they were incredibly fertile for any kind of produce escept wine or olive oil; they were famed for their cattle, mules and huge numbers of rabbits; they produced a breed of snails that the Romans considered a delicacy (grown in caves for some reason!); and they produced a mineral called “Sinope” which was used by painters as a rich red.
So that’s a quick look at the early history of the islands and next time I’ll have a look at a bit later in their history! Enjoy!
Chris

Afternoon! As i need to catch up loads here's my next blog already, decided to do it on another holiday destination because that's what i know best. This time i'm going to write about the town of Pollença and it's nearby port, port de Pollença, which is in the north-east of Mallorca.
The old town of Pollença is located a few miles away from the coast and is a 13th century town home to around 15,000 people. The main landmark and tourist spot of the town is the massive 365 step stairway which leads to a chappel and small cafe at the top as well as excellent views of the mallorcan landscape. Every easter the stairs and main sqaure are the location of the mock crucifixion of Jesus, in which somebody carries a huge wooden cross up the hill and then is crucifed, followed by an erie procession through the town centre. ALthough i was there around Easter time, I did not get to see this event. At the bottom of the stairs is the main square, La Plaça Major, which has many small cafes and bars around it. There is also a medievil church called the Esglèsia de Nostra Senyora dels Àngels and a small market area, selling mainly fresh fruit and veg outside and meat, fish and cheese inside.
The port, Port de Pollença, located on the coast in the more modernised tourist area, with sea-side cafes, bars, restaruants and big apartment blocks. There is a trail called the Pine Walk which runs along the coast, which is said to be worth a vist, given its name due to the numerous pine trees which grow beside it, dropping their needles onto the sandy path.
The port neighbours the great Cap de Formentor, a mountain peninsular which you can drive over to the other side.

That's about it

Cheers, Fred.

Markets.
After talking about food and markets in class on Monday, I decided to research a bit into the different markets in Catalonia. The market that caught my eye was the ‘Mercat de la Boqueria’. There is so much recorded about this market that I thought I should look into it.
The Mercat de la Boqueria is one of Barcelona’s 40 markets, yet this is the biggest and most well-known. It spreads along ‘La Rambla’ from the ‘Plaza Catalunya’ to the port. It is open from 8am to 8pm every day except Sunday and is full of every food imaginable; typical Catalonian fruit and vegetables, seafood, meat, cheese and a variety of sweets and desserts. Cured meats are also very popular as well as regional sausages.
This market also specialises in ‘rovellons’ a type of mushroom, particular to Catalonia in the autumn. They are orange coloured and are called ‘rovellons’ because the word ‘rovell’ means the ‘inner part of an egg’. The price varies but the larger ones are usually cheaper than the smaller ones, as it’s more likely for worms to be harbouring in them!
Amidst all the market stalls there are also bars tapas restaurants and bakeries where you’re able to stop off and have a drink and something to eat if the market gets too much.
The Boqueria Market is a lot older than people think. The first mention of it dates back to 1217 and from December 1470, pig farmers started to sell their pigs there. At this time, the market had the name ‘Mercat de la Palla’ (Straw Market) and it was not enclosed like it is today. In 1826 the market was legally recognized and a convention was held in 1835 to decide the construction of an official place. In 1853, the official launch was made and in 1911, the new fish market was opened. In 1914, the metal roof that still exists today was constructed.
I think that visiting local markets is an excellent way of getting to know a new place, understanding a culture, seeing the different tastes of people, how much things cost and how people deal with one another.
Here's a link to a video which shows the typical hustle and bustle of the market.


http://www.boqueria.info/Eng/index.php

Chiara

"INIESTA...INIESTA...INIESTA..."

...the crowd sung as the diminutive midfielder salutes the loving fans after his wonder goal against Chelsea in the Champions league semi final last year. The audacious finish epitomised the quality that the football wizard possesses, the Albus Dumbledore of football as to say. Despite this, he stays low key in terms of media attention contrasting to the other high calibre players that revel in the media limelight, lapping up the attention as a dog would when visitors are round. Let’s just say Andres Iniesta is no ordinary footballer.

Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish international midfielder, playing his domestic football at footballing giants FC Barcelona. His willingness to play anywhere on the pitch, coupled with a natural humility, has earned him the sobriquet El Ilusionista, El Anti-Galáctico and most recently San Andrés. All these titles have been hard earnt over a period of many years at the club that he holds so close to his heart. It was after Iniesta’s impressive performance in the Champions League Final that caused Manchester United striker, Wayne Rooney, to claim that he was the best midfielder in the world. But where did Iniesta start??

Iniesta was aged 12 when he joined the youth ranks at Barcelona, playing alongside Arsenal, and fellow Spain international Cesc Fabregas. He began his career as a defensive midfielder, but as he progressed, his attacking flair caused him to upgrade to the more lucrative attacking midfield role. Nevertheless it was only 2006 when Iniesta started to get played regularly in the Barcelona team due to the absence of Xavi, through injury. Since then, he hasn’t looked back and has formed the ultimate partnership with whom else but, Xavi, in the central midfield. He has been one of the most consistent performers in the last few years, proven by the stats and is now starting to break into the top 10 players in the world shortlist, coming in at 9 last year. In the Euros 2008, he helped Spain progress to the final, winning a man of the match performance in the semi final. He consequently was chosen in the tournament team 11 which highlighted his contribution to his national side throughout the tournament.

Nevertheless, Iniesta doesn’t let the media attention get to his head and in my opinion; he is the most unsung hero in the game. So here it is, A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ANDRES INIESTA, arguably the best footballer in the world.

Figueres

Hi, this is my first blog, hope you enjoy it. I've chosen to do it on the city of Figueres, the birthplace of Salividor Dalí. It's in the province of Girona in north-east Catalonia, the city is bordered very closely to France.
Whilst on holiday a few years ago in Palámos, we went to Figueres for the day to go to the Dalí museum and to see the Castell de Sant Ferran, a huge fortress, the biggest in Catalonia and one of the largest in Europe, measuring at 55.08 hectares, used as a defence mechanism against the French during the 18th and 19th centuries. However now it is open to the public after an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Defence, the Catalonian autonomous government and the Figueres town council. Here is a link to an aerial video which shows the fortress: http://www.castillosanfernando.org/ENG/castillo.php

We visited the Dalí museum too, el teatre-museu Dalí, the museum holds many of his famous works including the Mae West room and a range of his paintings and sculptures. There is also a central courtyard with other works such as the Cadillac plujós, a Cadillac with people trapped inside, which has been fitted with a system which makes it rain every now and again. Dalí is buried in a crypt in the museum which can be seen.

Els Pets

Hi, as i haven't posted in a while (oops!) i thought i would add to some of the posts on music with a little bit of info on a catalan band ive found.

Els Pets is a catalan pop-rock band that formed in Tarragona in 1985, and belongs to the musical movement of the 80s and 90s "Rock Catala". I found some of their music on Youtube and i think they're really good and a lot of their music is quite political. For example, "Tarragona M'esborrona" which is one of their most famous songs.

http://elspets.cat/

Emma x

Catalan Universities

There are 12 Universities in Catalonia;

• Universitat de Barcelona (Barcelona)
  The UB was officially founded under the royal prerogative granted by Alphonse the Magnanimous, in Naples, on 3 November 1450 (559 years ago!). Its website has loads of information about the university, its history and life in Barcelona. This page might be especially useful when considering the year abroad :).
  
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Barcelona)
  The UAB was founded in 1968 with the aim of establishing four principles of autonomy: freedom to select teaching staff, admission available to all students (but with a limited number), freedom to create its own study plans and freedom to administrate the university's capital. Again, the university's website has information about studying there as part of the Erasmus scheme.
  
• Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Barcelona, Castelldefels, Manresa, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Terrassa and Vilanova i la Geltrú)
  The UPC was founded in 1971 as the Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona and changed its name in 1984 to reflect its regional presence. There's an interesting but really long video on the front page of the English version of the site, although, it is voiced over in English there are key words in Catalan that fly around.
  
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona)
  The UPF was founded in 1990 and was named after Pompeu Fabra, who laid down the standards of the modern Catalan language and was exiled during at the beginning of the Franco dictatorship. His published works include Normes ortogràfiques (Spelling Rules) published in 1913, Gramàtica catalana (Catalan Grammar) of 1918 and Diccionari general de la llengua catalana (General Dictionary of the Catalan Language) published in 1932.
  
• Universitat de Lleida (Lleida)
  The UdL was founded in 1991 bringing together all university courses which had been taught in Lleida as branches of universities in Barcelona since 1968. From 1300 until 1717, when a new model of university was created by Bourbon reformers, there existed the Estudi General de Lleida in which the current Universitat de Lleida has its roots.
  
• Universitat de Girona (Girona)
  The UdG was created in 1991 by decree of the Catalan government. Like Lleida, Girona had an Estudi General from 1446 (although classes only started in 1572) up until 1717
  
• Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona)
  The URV was also created in 1991 by decree of the Catalan government. It is named after Antoni Rovira i Virgili a famous Catalan writer, historian and politician. The first institution of university education in the area was founded by cardinal Gaspar Cervantes de Gatea in the 16th century.
  
• Universitat Ramon Llull (Barcelona & Tarragona)
  The URL was created in 1990 and has incorporated faculties and institutions of the area that have been founded from 1864 onwards.
  
• Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
  The UOC was created in 1994 as an initiative of the Catalan government to provide access to lifelong learning through the use of information technologies and a personalised educational model. It is on-line based, like the Open University in the UK.
  
• Universitat de Vic (Vic)
  The UVic was officially recognised by the Catalan Parliament in May 1997 and so is a young university but not the youngest in Catalonia.
  
• Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (Barcelona and Sant Cugat del Vallès )
  The UIC was founded in October 1997 and has two campuses: the Barcelona campus and the Sant Cugat campus. It another young university but, again, not the youngest in Catalonia.
  
• Universitat Abat Oliba CEU
  The UAO is the youngest university in Catalonia. Although it has its roots in the Centre Universitari Abat Oliba, it was officially recognised as the UAO by the Catalan Parliament in 2003.
  

I plan to find out more about the university reform in the early 1990s that is the reason so many universities were created in 1991 by the government in future posts :).

Becky X

Linguistic Roots

Catalan developed from the Vulgar Latin spoken in the Roman Spain.

The Iberian peninsula has been invaded several times since then:

The Visigoths (414 AD)
The Arabs (711-717 AD)

They both invaded the entire of Spain, but their languages had a little impact on Catalan.

However,

In 778 the Franks of Charlemagne conquered what is modern day Catalonia. The Marca Hispanica (Spanish mark) as they called it.

The local 'Vulgar Latin' evolved in close relation with the language of Charlemagne's Franks (Occitan) So, Catalan was born!!

Catalan differs from Occitan LESS than from Spanish!!

Catalan incorporated many Germanic words due to the Franks!

Germanic: Blao, Laith, Lothr, Raubon, Rauba, Reiks, Sape
Catalan: Blau, lleig, Lloure, Robar, Ropa, Ric, Sabo
English: Blue, Ugly, Free, To Rob, Clothes, Rich, Soap
French: Bleu, Laid, libre, Derober, Robe, Riche, Savon
German: Blau, häss(lich), Frei, Ausrauben, Robe, Reich, Seife

Also the words for many everyday concepts, in Catalan, are more similar to French and Occitan than Spanish!

cadira-Catalan
cadièra-Occitan
chaire-French
chair-English
silla- Spanish

taula-Catalan
taula-Occitan
table-French
mesa-Spanish
table-English

finestra-Catalan
fenèstra-Occitan
fenêtre-French
ventana-Spanish
window-English


terra-Catalan
tèrra-Occitan
terre-French
piso-Spanish
ground-English

oncle-Catalan
oncle-Occitan
oncle-French
tío-Spanish
uncle-English

cosí-Catalan
cosin-Occitan
cousin-French
primo-Spanish
cousin-English

nebot-Catalan
nebot-Occitan
neveu-French
sobrino-Spanish
nephew-English

net-Catalan
net-Occitan
net-French
limpio-Spanish
clean-English

brut-Catalan
brut-Occitan
sale-French
sucio-Spanish
dirty-English


Thus showing it's not only the culture that separates Catalonia from Castillian Spain... their roots grow from very different places.

John x

researched on: http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Catalan/Catalan.html

Tots Sants i Fira de la Ratafia

After we've just celebrated Halloween and Bonfire night, i thought i'd look at some of Catalunya's biggest celebrations in November.

The first major festival is that of 'Tots Sants' or All Saints Day, this is not just restricted to Catalunya but is celebrated throughout the Western world. However, it is celebrated in Catalunya with people visiting the graves of those who have died to offer flowers, followed by a family lunch including seasonal foods like boniato (sweet potato) and castanyes (chestnuts) for dessert. Almond cakes called panellets are often eaten at this time to represent those prepared at funerals in ancient Spain.

The second is Fira de la Ratafia which takes place on the 24th and 25th of November in Besalu. It celebrates "Ratafia", a liquor that elaborated from green nuts. The main celebration of the festival is a traditional market in the main square of Besalu, to honor and present the local produce.

Steph xx

http://www.ehow.com/how_2064989_celebrate-all-saints-day-spain.html

http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/articles/catalan-public-holiday/index.html

http://www.rabbies.eu.com/festivals_fiestas.asp

Música en català

Com sabeu, hi ha moltes possibilitats d'escoltar música en català de franc a Internet. Aquí en teniu un exemple: l'Équilibriste és un grup de Mallorca, que ha posat el seu àlbum en línia. Si seleccioneu una cançó, podreu veure'n la lletra mentre l'escolteu.

Salut!

Laia

La Diada de Sant Jordi
I was looking through research on Catalan Feast days when I found ‘La Diada de Sant Jordi’ which I found very interesting.

This day, the 23rd April, is known as the ‘Day of Lovers’ and is often compared to our Valentines Day, however their tradition of exchanging gifts is a little different. Men give their sweethearts a rose, and women give their boyfriends a book. They give books because a bookseller in 1923 began to promote the holiday as a way to honour the simultaneous deaths of the two greatest men of literature: Miguel de Cervantes and Britain’s William Shakespeare, both deceased on April 23, 1616. As Barcelona was the publishing capital of the Spanish-speaking world, the fashion of exchanging books was quickly adopted to celebrate both love and literacy.

All over Catalonia, hundreds of flower stands selling roses and makeshift bookstalls are set up for the day. By the end of the day, almost four million roses and 400,000 books are purchased in the name of love. The amount of books sold on this day alone is just over half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia! There is also a tradition of 24-hour reading sessions of Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes. The roses are presented together with a spike of wheat and a small red and yellow Catalonian flag. Ribbons are also used to tie together the roses, with printed words such as ‘Sant Jordi’ (Saint George), ‘Diada de la Rosa’ (Day of the Rose) an d ‘t’estimo’ (I love you).

This day is not an official non-working day, yet most people take the day off to enjoy it. The Sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, is performed throughout the day and dancers and musicians perform on nearly every Plaça. La Diada de Sant Jordi is the only day when the ‘Palau de la Generalitat’, Barcelona's main government building, is open to visitors. A huge display of roses honouring Saint George can be seen there. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ) has also made the 23rd April, the World Book and Copyright Day.

Below is a link to a mini video showing the grand scale of this event.

http://www.gencat.cat/catalunya/santjordi/eng/index.htm

Thanks, Chiara

Andorra

For this post, I thought I would write about a place I have visited,Andorra, where Catalan is officially spoken, along with Spanish, French and Portuguese. Andorra is a small country in southwestern Europe, bordered with France and Spain- though most of you will know this!!
Some common facts about Andorra:
It has 10.2million (estimated) visitors per year.
It is a tax haven- meaning their taxes are set at a low rate.
It is not part of the EU.
It declared war on imperial Germany in World War 1, but didn't actually fight.
In 1933, France occupied Andorra.
Now Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, Spain.
The current Prime Minister is Jaume Bartumeu of the Social Democratic Party (PS).
The responsibility of defending Andorra, currently lies with France and Spain.

These facts are the things that interest me most about Andorra. I have visited Andorra, but didn't know most of these facts before researching for this post! You should all go and visit Andorra now! :)

Thanks, Sian x





Facts found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andorra
Picture found at: http://www.fotopaises.com/imagenes/ANDORRA/Andorra_Centro_Termal_Caldea.JPG

Bon vespre!

Avui he vist que heu posat coses sobre la Catalunya Nord i, com que també és el tema de la setmana, he pensat que us presentaria el meu músic favorit d'aquesta regió. Es diu Pascal Comelade i la seva música sempre em fa somriure. Aquí podreu trobar el vídeo de la seva cançó "Sense el ressò d'un dring". Espero que us agradi!

Laia

Carme Chacon

I've decided to write about another successful Catalan, but a female and very current one: Carme Chacon Piqueras.

Carme Chacon was born in Esplugues de Llobregat, a municipality just outside of Barcelona, in 1971. She studied Law at the University of Barcelona and graduated in 1994 with cum lauda honours for her thesis on 'Federalism and the 1982 Canadian Charter of Freedom and Rights'. Her fourth year studies were undertaken at Victoria University in Manchester (another link between the two cities). She went on to do many courses of Postgraduate Study, mainly in Canada, studying at 4 Universities including Osgoode Law School in Toronto and Montreal University.

Her political career began when she joined the Cataluna Young Socialists in 1989 and became a member of the Catalan Socialist Party in 1994. She was Deputy Mayor responsible for economic ad human resources and public safety and elected as Town Hall councillor in 1999. She was an international observer for the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania in 1996 and 1997. In 2000 she was elected Socialist MP for Barcelona and her career turned international when she became the PSOE spokesperson in 2003, the year before the party came into government.

After the party came into government, Chacon was appointed Secretary of Culture (2004) and New Housing Minister (2007). However, she made headlines when she became the first woman in Spanish government to be appointed head of the Ministry of Defence in 2008 as Zapatero came into power for a second term. She was one of the women who made up half of Zapatero's new equally gender-divided cabinet and was also pregnant at the time of her appointment, making it a slightly controversial appointment yet also showcasing the new equality and democracy that is coming into Spain over time.

Kat x

Catalunya Nord

Just found another website that you all might find useful -

http://www.catalogne-nord.com/index.html

I believe it is the official site for the Catalunya Nord region, so there's a couple of interesting things on there :]

Christina x.