What’s this flag?

Anyone who takes a tour of Barcelona or simply walks around the streets of any Catalan town will see this yellow flag with four red stripes hanging from the balconies or flying on top of the official buildings. What does this flag represent?
On my tours sometimes people ask me whether this is the Spanish flag. Is it? No, it isn’t, although the Spanish flag is also red and yellow. Other people may think it’s the soccer team flag…Neither. That one is blue and red.
This flag is the Catalan flag, locally called “Senyera”. You may also see it with the star, like in the picture, and then it’s called “Estelada.” The Estelada is the independentist Catalan Flag, since many people in Barcelona’s region favor the region’s separation from Spain. As a curiosity, the star is inspired in the Cuban flag. The Estelada was created in 1908. Now you now what this flag is!