Barcelona Local Custom Tips by Peret

Well, maybe my sister will kill me when see this photo, but is worthy to show it. It's no so clear, but is quite authentic. The photo date from the early seventy. My mother wore my sister with tipycal catalan before a fest, i don't remember whych.
The tipycal catalan dress, people only wear in specyal events. Well, I have not ever wear it. You can see, my sister yes.
Bé, potser la meva germana em matarà quan vegi aquesta foto, però val la pena ensenyar-la. Data de principis dels setanta. La meva mare va vestir la meva germana amb el tratjo típic català abans d'alguna festa.
Aquí, el tratjo típic només es porta en moments especials. Jo mai me l'he posat. Poeu veure que la meva germana, sí.

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Probabily you knows: there's two official languages in Barcelona. But, what that means for a traveler? I'll try to explain, beyond the officiality. We can say, the 60% of people who lives in Catalonia speak usually catalan. For them, spanish is the second language. Except for old people in the little vilages, everybody can speak spanish. There's a 40% of people, normally descending of spanish people of another places of spain, who spanish is the first language. But except old people in the outer parts of Barcelona, all they understand and live with catalan.
This is a simplicity to guide. For exemple, i'm descending of people of Spain, my mother-tongue is spanish, but my language that i use usually and identified me is catalan. All combinations are possible. What you can do? Speak you spanish without problem, everybody will talk with you, but if you want to wine the heart of most of catalan, say a few words of catalan, althoug this won't always work.

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Website: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=CLN

A map where you can see where our language is spoken, and his dialects, who are very strong. Catalan is a indoeuropean, romance language. Is close to french, spanish, italian or portuguesish. Now in Catalonia the Generalitat take care of him and is the first language used for catalans and for institutions. In majorca is less used in all this aspects, and still less in valencia. In France his consideration is very poor, and is rapidly declining. In Andorra, is the only official language.

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Website: http://www.dmoz.org/World/Catal%e0/

One more time. Probabily you knows there's a specyal relationship with the catalans and Spain. And one more time, what means this for a traveler? Well, i think the most impotant is that you know if you ask or say something about tipical spanish things, you can notice a face disagree. That is because you are talking with a person who idenitify him self like a "first catalan". Nevertheless, if you speak with a person who identify him self like a "first spanish", probabily he (or she) will be glad to speak about flamenco and toros and all other things. How to know? Look and guess. Surely you guess what i am, for instance. But don't worry, is very difficult that this becomes a problem. Also, in the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona, you can find a lot of people who doesn't care about this.
The public opinion says: 30% catalans feel only catalans, 20% more catalan the spanish, 25% so catalan the spanish, 20% more spanish then catalan and 5% only spanish. More or less. Only keep in mind the double way: Catalans feel proud to keep our culture, but sad for haven't state and international recognition.
In the photo, the suposed moment when The king of catalonia "Guifrè el Pilòs" got the four bars like the future flag of Catalonia, thousend years ago.

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Website: http://www.dmoz.org/World/Catal%e0/Pol%edtica_i_govern/