Els Segadors (The Reapers) was officially adopted as the national anthem of Catalonia by the Catalan Parliament in 1993.
The anthem is based on an anonymous folk ballad written during the events of 1640 and commemorates the Revolt of the Reapers (Guerra dels Segadors), which began with the uprising known as Corpus de Sang (“Corpus of Blood”). At the time, Catalonia was under the rule of King Philip IV of Spain, and local peasants played a central role in resisting the presence of royal troops.
The anthem is a powerful call to defend the land and its freedoms. Using the imagery of agricultural labour, the song urges the reapers to “sharpen their tools” and “strike with the sickle,” transforming the farmers’ traditional implements into symbols of resistance against oppression.
Today, Els Segadors remains one of the most important symbols of Catalan identity, history, and self-determination.
