AntoniMaroto.com

This blog remains online, but it's not being updated anymore.

Instead, further updates are only taking place on my new website AntoniMaroto.com.

See you there!

Thank you,

Antoni Maroto

Israel

According to the Hebrew Calendar, today is Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day), the national day of Israel, which commemorates the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. It is usually celebrated on the 5th of Iyar.

The modern State of Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people, after mostly living in diaspora since the 2nd century CE (Common -or Christian- Era). The history of the country dates back to the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which emerged in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE (Before the Common -or Christian- Era), respectively. It is currently the world's only Jewish State and the Middle East's only democracy.

Israel's Law of Return gives Jews the right to live in Israel and to gain Israeli citizenship. Being a country of immigrants, its population is, therefore, constantly increasing: as of 2016, it totals more than 8 million people.

Israel is located at the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba (also known as Gulf of Eilat) in the Red Sea. It borders Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. The highest point in the country is Mount Hermon at 9,232 ft, while the lowest one is the Dead Sea at −1,407 ft. The Jordan River runs between these two points.

With more than 800,000 inhabitants, Jerusalem is the most populous city and the capital of Israel. However, this is disputed by many countries due to the fact that the eastern part of the city lies in the West Bank, which previously belonged to Jordan and has been administered by Israel since 1967, although it is a partly autonomous territory and it is currently claimed by the State of Palestine. This state also claims the Gaza strip, which previously belonged to Egypt and had been administered by Israel from 1967 until 2005 and is currently ruled by a terrorist group called Hamas.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Yom HaShoah is the Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day falls on the 27th of Nisan. The Gregorian equivalent, though, corresponds to tomorrow: May 5th, 2016.

The Holocaust or Shoah, which means catastrophe or utter destruction in Hebrew, refers to the atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people during World War II.

The Holocaust, from the Greek word meaning sacrifice by fire, was initiated by the members of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, which seized power in Germany in 1933. The Nazis believed in a doctrine of racial superiority, centering around the idea that people of Northern European descent were somehow better than members of all other races – especially the Jews, who were "unworthy of life."

After taking power, the Nazis gradually restricted the rights of German Jewish citizens and encouraged their followers to commit acts of violence and destruction against Jews and their property. During World War II (1939-1945), the Nazis implemented their "final solution," which was a plan to concentrate and annihilate all European Jews.

Jews were first crammed together in ghettoes and slave-labor camps, where disease, brutality, and malnutrition ran rampant. Eventually, they were sent to death camps, where millions were murdered in special facilities designed to kill a tremendous number of people over a brief period of time.

In addition to the six million Jews who died - two-thirds of the European Jewish population – the Nazis also killed millions of others, including Roma (Gypsies) and Slavs, political and religious dissidents, the handicapped, and gays and lesbians.

Yom HaShoah is a memorial day for those who died in the Holocaust. In Israel, it starts at sundown in a state ceremony held in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes Authority, in Jerusalem. Flags on public buildings are flown at half mast. At 10 AM, an air raid siren sounds throughout the country and Israelis are expected to observe two minutes of solemn reflection:

Ireland

Fifteen years ago, I was living in Ireland. There, I was attending summer school in Cork. The time I spent there, I lived in a village named Carrigaline. I also had the chance to visit several lovely places such as Cobh, Killarney, Youghal, Bunratty, Kinsale, and Blarney.

The Republic of Ireland is a state that occupies five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The remaining area is a part of the United Kingdom, whose name is Northern Ireland. The island is located in north-western Europe in the North Atlantic. It is separated from the island of Great Britain by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and Saint George's Channel.

The island has an area of 32,595 square miles (84,421 square kilometers) and is mostly made of low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain. It has lush vegetation due to its oceanic climate, which means there is rain all year round. Temperatures are usually cool and without any extremes.

It is believed that the island was first inhabited after 8000 BCE (Before the Common -or Christian- Era). Ireland's essence as a Celtic nation started between the years 600 and 150 BCE. Its population began being Christianized from the 5th century onward. Until the Norman invasion in the 12th century, the island had been a patchwork of local tribal kingdoms.

Following that Norman conquest, England claimed sovereignty over the island, even though it was not incorporated until the 16th century. The Irish famine of the mid-19th century saw the population of the island drop by one third through starvation and emigration.

Ireland declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1919. The Irish Free State was created in 1922 and was officially declared a republic in 1949. It joined the United Nations in 1955 and the European Union in 1973.

As of 2015, its population is 4,892,305 inhabitants. In addition, there are 1,850,393 people living in Northern Ireland.

Senyera

The flag of Catalonia, which is called Senyera, consists of four red bars on a golden background.

It is also the official flag of some autonomous communities of Spain: Aragon, Balearic Islands, and Valencia; and the historically Catalan-speaking city of Alghero in Sardinia, Italy.

In addition, it is part of the flags of two regions in France: Languedoc-Roussillon, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur; and it is a quarter of the coat of arms of Andorra.

It is also the flag, or part of it, of many municipalities and divisions of the aforementioned territories. These, indeed, were part of the Crown of Aragon, which was ruled by the Count of Barcelona. Most of these lands speak Catalan. In fact, the flag is generally used to represent the Catalan language.

It is one of the oldest flags in Europe. It first appeared in the arms of the tomb of Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona, who died in 1082; and on a seal by Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona, in 1150.

United States

The United States of America (USA), commonly referred to as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country whose goverment form is a federal presidential constitutional republic. It consists of 50 states and a federal district:

Most of the U.S. is located between Canada and Mexico, except the states of Alaska and Hawaii.

It also includes several overseas territories in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands) and in the Pacific (American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands).

According to The World Factbook, the United States of America covers an area of 3,794,100 square miles (9,826,675 square kilometers) and has a population of 318,892,103 inhabitants as of 2014. The capital city is Washington D.C. and the largest city is New York City.

The U.S. is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, since the country is the result of large-scale immigration from many peoples: Africans, Germans, Mexicans, Irish, British, Americans, Italians, Poles, Scandinavians, French...

The country became independent from Great Britain in 1776. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13. Two of the events that have marked the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-1865) and the Great Depresion of the 1930's. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the U.S. remains the world's most powerful nation in the world.

LGBT Rights

The Stonewall riots were a series of demonstrations by members of the LGBT community against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28th, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn. This tavern, which was frequented by gay men, was located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The riots continued until July 3rd, 1969.

These events marked the first time that gays and lesbians as a group forcefully and vocally asserted their rights to equality under the law. Until then, LGBT people had mostly been harassed, penalized and discriminated against. Therefore, the Stonewall riots are considered as the single most important event that led to the modern movements for LGBT civil rights, which in many countries −mostly in Europe and America− have already achieved equality on topics like marriage and unions, adoption, military service, and anti-discrimination based on sexual orientation.

This historical rebellion is commemorated annually during the month of June in thousands of parades and festivals around the world collectively known as LGBT Pride, which is a positive stance against discrimination, shame, social stigma and violence against LGBT people. Those negative attitudes are still faced by some people, especially in countries in Africa and Asia, ranging from restricted freedom of expression through penalties, including imprisonment and death.

While I was writing this article, on June 26th, 2015, same-sex marriage was effectively legalized in the United States following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. Prior to this, there were already 38 states in which same-sex marriage was legal at least to some degree. In this way, the United States joins a list of countries in which same-sex marriage is performed. 

Although not performed, Israel, Malta, and Mexico recognize same-sex marriages performed abroad. Indeed, some Mexican states −Campeche*, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Guerrero*, Jalisco*, Nayarit*, Quintana Roo, and Mexico City− have already legalized same-sex marriages and it looks like the country might be the next to join the list. In the United Kingdom, though, Northern Ireland treats same-sex marriages as civil partnerships so far.

UPDATE (06/08/2016):

I have to add Colombia and Greenland to the list of countries in which same-sex marriages are legal. Keep them coming!!! =)

*added after the article was published

Chicago

Part of my family lives in Chicago*.

The city has almost 3 million inhabitants. It is, therefore, the third most populous city in the United States of America, after New York City and Los Angeles. It is the most populous city, as well, in the state of Illinois and the Midwest.

Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837. Today, it is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation; O'Hare International Airport is, indeed, one of the busiest airports in the world.

The city is known for the invention or perfection of several performing arts: improvisational comedy, house music, blues, jazz, and soul. My favorite ever music band, in fact, happens to be from Chicago: The Smashing Pumpkins. Other bands I like that are from the city are Veruca Salt and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.

Chicago has many nicknames, but the best-known are the "Windy City" and the "Second City."

The origin of the city's name is derived from a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, which can be translated as "wild leek," or "wild onion," or "wild garlic." The first known reference to the site of the current city of Chicago as "Checagou" was by Robert de LaSalle around 1679 in a memoir.

The 1780s saw the arrival of the first known non-indigenous permanent settler in Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who was of African and French descent. He is commonly known as the "Founder of Chicago."
If you want to find about more about the history of the city, you need to visit the Chicago History Museum.

Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago lies on a continental divide, connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes watersheds. The average land elevation is 579 ft. (176 m) above sea level.

Els Segadors

Catalonia's national anthem is called "Els Segadors" ("The Reapers").

The lyrics make reference to the blood-stained Corpus Christi (Corpus de Sang) event, which was part of the Thirty Years' War that took place in several European countries between 1618 and 1648.

That Corpus of Blood took place in Barcelona on June 7th, 1640. It led to the Catalan Revolt, in which the Catalans fought the troops of King Philip IV of Castile.

The anthem's melody was first recorded in 1900. It is uncertain how it originated, but it could have been inspired by a Ladino version of Ein K'Eloheinu, which is a Jewish prayer.

The next video will allow you to listen to the anthem. It contains, as well, the lyrics in Catalan and English:

I would like to point out that this video was not created by me. I assume, therefore, that its author is the person who uploaded it.

Read this post in Catalan.

Catalonia

Catalonia, whose capital is the city of Barcelona, has been my home for the past 13 years. It is my country: a nation with more than one thousand years of history, and yet without a state of its own. It is currently an autonomous community of Spain, but many of its inhabitants are longing for independence.

These are the nation's flag and coat of arms:

Catalonia, whose area is 32,114 square kilometers (12,399 square miles), occupies the northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, which in turn is located in southwestern Europe. While it is geographically bathed by the Mediterranean Sea and bound to the north by the Pyrenees, it limits politically with France, Andorra and the lands of Aragon and Valencia - these last two currently belong to Spain too.

According to Spanish laws, Catalonia is divided into four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona; nonetheless, the Catalan laws recognize another type of administrative division, which is historical to the territory: the vegueria. Nowadays, there are eight vegueries:

• Àmbit metropolità de Barcelona
• Alt Pirineu (excluding Val d'Aran, which is a historical and autonomous Occitan county)
• Camp de Tarragona
• Comarques Centrals
• Comarques Gironines
• Penedès
• Ponent
• Terres de l'Ebre

Catalonia's type of government is a devolved one as it is stated on Catalonia's Statute of Autonomy. The body of government is the Generalitat de Catalunya, whose inception dates from 1283. It was abolished in 1714 and restored again in 1977. It had also been active between the years 1931 and 1939.

As of 2014, the country's total population was 7,504,000 inhabitants. These inhabitants are the Catalans and most of them are bilingual in Catalan (the country's own and main language, evolved from Vulgar Latin by the 9th century) and Spanish. In Val d'Aran, another language is spoken: Occitan (it is also named Aranese there), which shares a common origin with Catalan.

Catalonia's national anthem is called "Els Segadors" ("The Reapers").

If you want to read news about Catalonia, you can do it for free here.

Read this post in Catalan.

Jerusalem

Today is Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim in Hebrew). It is celebrated on the 28th day of Iyar to commemorate the reunification of Israel's capital. Although Jerusalem has been considered the capital city of the Jewish people since the time of King David – who conquered it and built it as the seat of his monarchy in approximately 1000 BCE (Before the Common -or Christian- Era) – there had never been a special day in honor of the city until the Israeli army took over the ancient, eastern part of the city (which had been under Jordanian rule since 1948) on the third day of the Six-Day War in June 1967.

The liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 marked the first time in thousands of years that the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest in Judaism, was under Jewish sovereignty. The destruction of Jerusalem was a watershed event in Jewish history that began thousands of years of mourning for Jerusalem; so, it follows that the reunification of Jerusalem should be a joyous celebration that begins the process of reversing thousands of years of destruction and exile.

Due to the young age of this holiday, there is still not much that makes it unique in terms of customs and traditions. It is gradually becoming a pilgrimage day, when thousands of Israelis travel to Jerusalem to demonstrate solidarity with the city, including the historical "Old City", where Jews were denied access during Jordanian rule (1948-1967). The march ends at the Kotel (Western Wall), one of the ancient retaining walls surrounding the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site.

This is of special importance to the state of Israel, since the international community has never approved the reunification of the city under Israeli sovereignty, and many countries have not recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State. Indeed, the United Nations “partition plan” of The British Mandate of Palestine of November 1947 assigned a status of “International City” to Jerusalem.

READ: Israel - Facts & Personal Experience

1986 - 2002

Recently, I have spent some days in the place I grew up before I moved to Catalonia: a village called Santa Cruz (Lians, which covers an area of 6.63 square kilometers - 2.55 square miles - and, as of 2014, it had a population of 9,900 inhabitants).

This village is located in the municipality of Oleiros, which in turn is located in the province of A Coruña (Galicia).

There they have one of the most beautiful environments I have ever seen in my life: The Santa Cruz Castle.

The castle is placed on a small island in the Ría of A Coruña, which is reached by crossing a wooden footbridge. This bridge was built in the early 2000s in order to permit easy acess. Prior to that, one depended on the sea: while the low tide allows walking on the sand, the high tide only narrowed the options to either boat transport or swimming.

Running around the island is a promenade offering a magnificent and unsurpassable view of A Coruña city, as well as of the village of Santa Cruz and its small port, which you can see on the picture above. Below, you can observe the castle and the low tide:

Read this post in Catalan.

Books, Mayim and Vegetarianism

Today, April 23rd, is a Catalan holiday called La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George's Day), also known as El dia de la Rosa (The Day of the Rose) or El dia del Llibre (World Book Day).

It shares some similarities to Valentine's Day. Indeed, the main event is the exchange of gifts between loved ones. Historically, men gave women roses, and women gave men a book to celebrate the occasion. In modern times, though, the mutual exchange of roses and/or books might be performed anyway regardless of the gender.

While roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, the giving of books is a more recent tradition originating in 1923, when a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare on April 23rd, 1616.

Catalonia exported this tradition of the book and the rose to the rest of the world: in 1995, UNESCO adopted April 23rd as the World Book Day.

This year, my gift was a book I had been waiting to own for some time now:

April 14

The place I have been living in for the past decade is called Badia del Vallès. It is a town and municipality in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Catalonia.

The township has its beginnings in the decade of 1960 by a government plan aimed at creating a residential area on the outskirts of the towns of Barberà del Vallès and Cerdanyola del Vallès.

The construction was started and completed in the first half of the decade of 1970.

On a day like today, in 1994, Badia del Vallès separated from Barberà del Vallès and Cerdanyola del Vallès and it established itself as a municipality. Before that, the town had been known as "Ciutat Badia."

The town covers an area of 0.92 square kilometers (0.36 square miles) and, as of 2014, it has a population of 13,553 inhabitants.

Most of these people emigrated from the southern half of Spain. Thus, being a migrant bird, the swallow was chosen as the symbol of the town.

Read this post in Catalan.