In former times the existence and very survival of Catalonia depended on being victorious in the constant battles against the Saracens.
The national anthem of Els Segadors, as well as the sickle, date back to the Catalan Revolt (1640 - 1652), while the Timbaler del Bruc (drummer of El Bruc) commemorates the resistance against Napoleon I's troops in Catalonia during the Peninsular War (1808 - 1814).