Manifestación

            For a cultural tradition to write about, today I am choosing to discuss protests in Barcelona.  I think they classify as tradition because they occur so frequently and casually, that I feel it is ingrained as a part of this culture.  Throughout this semester I have seen too many to count, and each time they are just as fascinating as the last.  Whether they are arguing for better rights, wages or something bank related, they all use more or less the same tactics.  That is, marching down main streets holding signs, flags, and making a lot of noise with whistles and horns.  I respect those that participate in the demonstrations because they are voicing their options and truly care about the problems at hand.  In America, we usually do not act with such force and passion, but rather argue behind the scenes without actually doing anything physical.  This is why I find these protests so intriguing, because they are full of emotion.  It gets everyone around them excited too, even if they have no opinion on the actual matter they are complaining about.

            Last week, my friends and I had a very frightening encounter with a particularly large group of demonstrators marching down Via Laietana.  Actually, it occurred when we were walking back from your second field study trip to the Borne area.  I was lucky enough to record the incident which is attached to this blog so you can see for yourself, but the video does not do it justice.  As we were passing the scene, a man who was part of the protest started yelling at us in catalan to get out of the way and step back.  Stunned and confused, we did not know what to do, and after less than a second there was a giant explosion of a firework only five feet away from us.  It was one of the loudest noises I have ever heard, and like I said earlier, the video does not truly show how loud it was!  We all freaked out and jumped out of the way like a bomb went off.  After we realized what happened, we were able to laugh at the matter, but it was quite frightening.

            Examples like this would make you think I hate protests, but it is just one more reason to love them.  They are spontaneous, exciting and different.  The fact that I can turn a corner and all of a sudden come upon one is so cool.  I look forward to seeing the next one which I am sure will happen in the near future, because this semi-tradition is a must see!