La Senyera
La Senyera is the official Catalan flag and has been used as a national symbol since the 11th century. Legend has it that the flag originated from a 9th century post-battle scene in which Guifré el Pilós, or Wilfred the Hairy, then Count of Barcelona lies wounded having helped protect the Franks from the Normans. The Carolingian King Carles el Calb, Charles the Bald, knelt next to him, dipped four fingers in the blood of his wounds and proceeded to slowly drag them across a golden shield which he awarded to Wilfred in honor of his bravery.
(This, of course, is a legend, has many variations, and may or may not have actually happened. The important thing is that the Senyera is the official flag for Catalonia and can be found all across its territory.)
La Estelada
A newer, and unofficial version of the flag (first used in the early 1900s) has become a powerful symbol for Catalan Independentists, those in favor of a separation between the Catalonian government and that of the rest of Spain.
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Sources:
“Resum d’Historia dels Països Catalans” -Ferran Soldevila, Editorial Barcino, 1974 || “L’estelada; La bandera de combat” – Estelada.cat
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