It has nothing to do with Ukraine: why many Barcelona residents hang blue and yellow flags on their balconies

Barceloneta is a neighborhood in Barcelona's Old Town district that lies between the main port and the Olympic Village. Ukrainian tourists, once here, will not fail to notice the abundance of blue and yellow flags around. The locals, i.e. the Catalans, hang them on their balconies and place them at the entrance to their houses, etc. However, these flags have nothing to do with Ukraine, except, of course, for the colors.

It turns out that Barceloneta has its own flag and it looks very similar to the flag of Ukraine. That's why some tourists mistakenly believe that the residents of this neighborhood are trying to demonstrate their support for the Ukrainian people in this way. In fact, if you look closely, the symbolism of the Barcelona quarter has some differences. OBOZ.UA decided to find out.

The main external difference that immediately catches the eye is the coat of arms located in the center with a crown. It is divided into four conventional parts. We can see a fishing boat, the lighthouse of Barceloneta built in the 18th century and preserved to this day, four red stripes on a golden background and the cross of St. George.

As you know, blue on a Ukrainian flag symbolizes the endless sky, and freedom, while yellow symbolizes the ears of grain, i.e. the fertile Ukrainian land. The same colors on the flag of Barcelona have a completely different meaning. Blue represents the sea, which is the life of most people in the area, and yellow represents the sand of Barcelona's beaches.

The fact that the locals love and respect their symbols so much that they hang flags on almost every house can also be explained. As you know, although Barcelona is considered a Spanish city, the citizens themselves do not recognize themselves as Spaniards: they are Catalans. The city treats the Catalan language with special trepidation: everything is written in it first and only then in Spanish.

In a recent interview with Ekaterina Gordeeva, Sam Treskunov, a Russian opposition actor who opposes the terrorist war and Putin's regime, also spoke about this. He said, "When we came here, we thought that many opponents of the war are here". But these are Barceloneta flags... Here are three key names that everyone knows: Picasso, Joan Miró and Salvador Dali. Everyone thinks they are Spanish. They are not, they are Catalans. Catalonia has very strong patriotism. There was an attempt to secede here, and they generally don't like the Spaniards as all the signs are first in Catalan, then in Spanish. So they love their neighborhoods very much."

However, such a thirst for independence is inherent not only in the city but also in its neighborhoods, including Barceloneta. People from this neighborhood perceive it as a separate settlement. To remind people of this, they hang their flags everywhere.

Barcelona is a city in northeastern Spain, the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia and the province of Barcelona.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that the iconic American singer Madonna performed in London, where her world tour called Celebration started. At the concert, the star expressed her support for the Ukrainian people by unfurling a blue and yellow flag on stage.

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