The Estelada (; pl. ''Estelades''; full name ''

Senyera The Senyera is a vexillological symbol based on the coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which consists of four red stripes on a yellow field. This coat of arms, often called ''bars of Aragon'', or simply ''"the four bars"'', historically repr ...

estelada'', , from ''estel'', "star") is a flag flown by Catalan independence supporters to express their support for an independent

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

or independent ''

Països Catalans The Catalan Countries (, ) refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencian Community, and parts of Aragon ('' La Franja'') and Murcia ( Carche), as ...

'' (Catalan Countries, the Catalan-speaking territory, which includes

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

). The design of the ''Estelada'' comprises the red-and-yellow bars of the ''

'', with the addition of a five-pointed star in a triangle at the hoist. The use of this flag as a protest symbol within

Catalan nationalism Catalan nationalism promotes the idea that the Catalan people form a distinct nation and national identity. A related term is Catalanism (, ), which is more related to Regionalism (politics), regionalism and tends to have a wider meaning, most pe ...

has become more notable since the 1970s

Spanish transition to democracy The Spanish transition to democracy, known in Spain as (; ) or (), is a period of History of Spain, modern Spanish history encompassing the regime change that moved from the Francoist dictatorship to the consolidation of a parliamentary system ...

. The self-proclaimed Catalan Republic of 2017 did not adopt the Estelada as its national flag, instead using the regular

Design and meaning

The flag dates from the early 20th century; it was most probably designed in 1918 by Vicenç Albert Ballester i Camps. It came from combining the traditional four red stripes over a yellow field of the ''

'' with a blue triangle at the hoist containing a five-pointed white star, inspired by the flags of Cuba, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. Later designs combine the ''

'' with a yellow triangle at the hoist containing a five-pointed red star. In both designs the lone star motif means Catalan independence.

History

The 3rd Article of the provisional Constitution of the

Catalan Republic Catalan Republic or Catalan State refers to Catalonia at various times when it was proclaimed either an independent republic or as a republic within a Spanish federal republic: * Catalan Republic (1640–1641), an independent state under French pro ...

, written and approved in 1928 in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

by the ''Assemblea Constituent'' (Constituent Assembly) of Catalan separatism, specifically provided that the official flag of the

should consist of four red bars on a yellow field, superimposed with a white five-pointed star in a blue triangle. The star in the flag comes from the early days of nationalism, the lone star symbolising national freedom and independence. Cuba's fight for its independence was watched closely by the Catalanists of the nineteenth century and in 1906, when the

Cuban War of Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), also known in Cuba as the Necessary War (), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Litt ...

ended, the ''Centre Catalanista de Santiago de Cuba'' (Catalanist Centre of

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

) was created. An embryonic Catalan ''estelada'' flag could already be seen: in the middle of a ''senyera'' there was a white star with five points. The first star with a clear nationalist intent known in Catalonia is from before 1904, associated with the ''

Unió Catalanista The ''Unió Catalanista'' (in English: ''Catalanist Union'') was a Catalanist political group, initially conservative, formed in Barcelona in 1891, from the union of various Catalanist trade unions and associations that came into contact as a res ...

'' (Catalanist Union). It is a stamp commemorating the acquisition of the ''

Pi de les Tres Branques Pi de les tres branques (; meaning "the three-branched pine") is a dead pine tree located in the countryside near the town of Berga in north-central Catalonia, Spain. It has long been regarded by some Catalan nationalism, Catalan nationalists as ...

'' (Three-Branched Pine) by the Catalanist Union. Later, in 1906, a star appeared in the nameplate of the magazine
Fora Grillons!
' (Breaking Chains!), published in Santiago de Cuba by Catalan exiles - a publication that had already clearly proclaimed the independence of Catalonia. During the late 1910s, once

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

was over, Europe saw a wave of new

nation-state A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly or ideally) con ...

s being created, with the assistance of President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. The politics of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

(and later the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

) allowed many nations to seize the opportunity of independence, and

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

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Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, and

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did so in 1918; other nations like

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Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

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and

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, were declared independent, but were then immediately annexed by the Soviet Union. From the nations that hoped for independence, pressure groups began to mobilize internationally. In the Catalan case, the ''Comitè Pro-Catalunya'' (Pro-Catalonia Committee) was one of the most active. It was in this context that a need was perceived to have a flag as a symbol of Catalan aspiration; and, of course, a star appeared on it. Since then the ''estelada'' flag began to be spoken of. It was probably designed by Vicenç Albert Ballester, with the blue triangle signifying the blue sky of humanity, and the white star symbolizing freedom. The first photograph in which the flag appeared was in a publication dated the bulletin ''L’intransigent'' (The Intransigent) in 1918. It shows a group of young Americans and Catalan separatists holding both flags. Malagrida P1160108

Also in 1918, there was a comic strip in circulation—a stamp without postal value—dedicated to the future League of Nations, where there was also an ''estelada''. There are several kinds of ''estelada''. One is in the last number of ''La Tralla'' ("''The Whip''", a radical separatist magazine from the 1920s), before the ''coup d'état'' by

Miguel Primo de Rivera Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, Grandee, GE (8 January 1870 – 16 March 1930), was a Spanish dictator and military officer who ruled as prime minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during the last years of the Resto ...

. The other is in a document published by the ''Comitè Pro-Catalunya'' written in Catalan and Arabic, to greet and encourage one of the Moroccan leaders who revolted against Spain. In Cuba, it appeared for first time in the nameplate of the magazine ''La Nova Catalunya'' (1920), (The New Catalonia). The ''estelada'' flag went on to appear in other Catalan separatist publications. An ''estelada'' was owned by

Francesc Macià Francesc Macià i Llussà (; 21 September 1859 – 25 December 1933) was a Catalan politician who served as the 122nd president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and formerly an officer in the Spanish Army. Politically, Macià evolved from an ...

during the failed invasion of Prats de Molló in 1926; it appeared between the imprisonment of the Catalan volunteers and their transfer to Paris to be put on trial. There are photographs of the volunteers with the ''estelada'' in several other places. In 1928, with the presidency of Francesc Macià in the Constituent Assembly of the Catalan independence movement, the ''estelada'' was again seen, and the Catalan separatists made it their flag. During this period a new practice began, and continues to the present day; whenever a prominent Catalan nationalist dies, as a sign of mourning, his comrades will cover the red bars of the ''estelada'' with a black cloth, leaving the star visible to signify that they will continue pursuing the same ideals. Later, during the period from 1931 to 1936, the ''estelada'' still appears numerous times. Some of these flags only have two colours due to the shortage of money, but the traditional ''estelada'' with the blue triangle and white star was kept. After the

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" * Franco of Cologne (mid to late 13th cent ...

ist dictatorship came to power, the ''

Front Nacional de Catalunya The National Front of Catalonia (Catalan language, Catalan: ''Front Nacional de Catalunya'', FNC) was a Catalan independence, Catalan nationalist party which was active between 1940 and 1990. The FNC was created in 1940 by former members of the E ...

'' (National Front of Catalonia), or FNC, which used the Catalan flag and the ''estelada'', was formed in response to the new Spanish nationalist regime. During the sixties, in the university section of the FNC, there was a faction called the '' Partit Socialista d’Alliberament Nacional dels Països Catalans'', (Socialist Party for the National Liberation of the Catalan Countries), or PSAN. Because this party wanted to make its own socialist and Marxist ideas clear, it decided to change the colour of the star to red; in 1969, this new version of the ''estelada'' started to appear at PSAN meetings. In the mid-seventies, the PSAN had, in turn, its own splits. They led to the creation of a new movement, the ''Moviment d’Unificació Marxista'' (Movement of Marxist Unification), which started to use the red star inside a white triangle, while the PSAN kept the red star inside a yellow triangle. The unification of the two versions of the flag could only take place when the Movement of Marxist Unification and the ''Bloc d’Esquerra d’Alliberament Nacional'' (Left National Liberation Bloc), or BEAN, both disbanded. At that time the flag with the red star and the yellow triangle were a symbol of both socialist and communist separatists.

Current use

As of 2005 both kinds of ''Estelada'' flag (the classic and the red) are used at the same time. After the

Fall of Communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

in Europe the red star of the ''Estelada groga'' (yellow estelada) has steadily lost some of its original leftist meaning, but not totally. It is sometimes currently flown just as a simpler and less cluttered version of the ''Estelada'' in the traditional Catalan colors. The estelada is ubiquitous as a simplified symbol - four vertical bars topped by a star, sprayed or daubed on walls, lampposts or mailboxes all over Catalonia. These simple graffiti are most often in one basic color, either in black or red. More elaborate large pro-independence graffiti use often the red-star ''Estelada'' as a symbol. In 2016, the Spanish government prohibited football fans from bringing esteladas to the

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

final match between

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

, held in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. The government applied the article 2.1 of the Law on Sports, which prohibits the display of symbols that "incite, foment or help violent or terrorist behavior." A Madrid judge overruled the ban after Barcelona complained, citing

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

Valencian nationalist Senyera

File:Senyera del nacionalisme valencià.svg File:Senyera d'Esquerra Valenciana (1931).svg The Valencian nationalist Senyera, also known simply as '' Estrelada'', is a flag of

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

that evolved from the regional flag based on the former Catalan ''Estelada''. The white star version has been used by Valencian nationalist groups since the early 20th century. Some of these groups may be '' blaverist'' (Valencian regionalist, as opposed to Catalan nationalist) in their ideology, especially those with more pro-sovereign positions. The oldest extant document showing this ''Estrelada'' - with a red star - is a war poster of the Valencian Left.

Variations

Since its creation, various ''Estelades'', or ''Estrelades'' (such as the

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

ese or Galician separatist flags) have been adopted by leftist separatist movements within Spain. Some ''Estelades'' have also been used for other purposes than separatism.

Other Spanish Estelades

File:EstreladaAragonesa.svg,

File:Bandeira galega socialista.svg, Galicia
( Estreleira) File:Andecha Astur.svg, Asturias File:Bandera Siete Estrellas Verdes.svg,

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

File:Bandera Andalucía Libre.svg,

File:Flag of Castile (with star).svg, Castile File:Bandera del nacionalismo murciano.svg,

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

File:Bandera Nacionalista Extremadura.svg,

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

File:Bandera del regionalismo manchego.svg,

La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural region, natural and historical region in the provinces of Spain, Spanish provinces of province of Albacete, Albacete, province of Cuenca, Cuenca, province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real and province of Toledo, Toledo. It ...

File:Bandera Leonés con estrella.svg, León File:Andnac2.svg,

(Variation)

Other Estelades

File:Estelada Juventud de Badalona.svg, Starry with colors of Club Joventut de Badalona File:Estelada RCD Espanyol.svg, Starry with colors of

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...

File:Estelada FC Barcelona.svg, Starry with colors of

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

File:Estelada Palamós CF.svg, Starry with colors of

Palamós CF Palamós Club de Futbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Palamós, a town and commercial port in the ''Costa Brava'', in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in the late 19th century, it currently plays in , holding home matc ...

File:Estelada Roja.svg, Version used by the PCE(i) File:Estelada Verda.svg, Estelada ''verda'', green version used by ecologists and animalists File:Estelada romboidal.svg, The first Estelada, with a blue rhombus, old version of the current blue design File:Antiga-Estelada blava amb estel roig.png, Old type of blue estelada with red star. Used by the Socors Català File:Antiga-Estelada del PSAN.png, Estelada used by the

PSAN The Socialist Party of National Liberation ( Catalan: ''Partit Socialista d'Alliberament Nacional'', PSAN) was an independentist and communist party active in Catalonia. The PSAN was created in 1968 following a split in the more leftist sector of ...

(1968-1977),

Marxist Unification Movement Marxist Unification Movement (in Catalan language, Catalan: ''Moviment d'Unificació Marxista'') was a political group in Catalonia, Spain. MUM was founded in 1977, during the Spanish transition to democracy, by a group that had left the Socialist ...

(1977-1978), Catalan Workers Bloc (1978-1982) and Left Bloc for National Liberation (1979-1982). File:Antiga-Estelada amb estel blau.png, Estelada with blue star seen in Catalan student demonstrations in the 1970s File:Estelada de 3 estrelles.svg, Estelada with 3 estrelles. File:Estelada Rey.svg, Estelada with sword, crown and 6 stars File:Estelada a l'estil ianqui.svg, This estelada inspired by the flag of the United States was proposed unsuccessfully in the late 60s. File:Estelada del MPC.svg, Estelada used by the Catalan Patriotic Movement (1994-2000s). File:Estelada anarquista.svg, Anarchist estelada, with an eight-pointed star, each representing the 8 regions of the

Catalan Countries The Catalan Countries (, ) refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencian Community, and parts of Aragon ('' La Franja'') and Murcia ( Carche), as ...

File:Estelada dels Països Catalans independents.svg, This flag was intended in the past to become the flag of the independent

File:Estelada Fundació Reeixda.svg, Flag proposed (June 2017) by the Fundació Reeixida as the official flag of an independent Catalonia. File:Estelada Blau Marí.png, Estelada ''blau marí'', dark blue version used with vertical displays in 2012. File:Islamic Estelada Blava.svg,

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

version of Estelada Blava

References

External links

http://www.reeixida.cat/documents/proposta-tecnica-bandera-estelada-1.pdf

100th anniversary of estelada flag

History of the estelada flag

{{flags of Spain Catalan independence movement Politics of Catalonia Catalan symbols Unofficial flags Flags introduced in 1918 Quadcolor_flags