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Spain is one of only four countries that has no lyrics in their national anthem. Why?
Certain nations have decided not to include words in their national anthems to avoid potential problems, and Spain is one of them
The lyrics of the Spanish National Anthem are a recurring topic for discussion from time to time in Spain.
Some advocate that lyrics should accompany the music, as in most countries, although there does not seem to be a clear consensus.
The history of the lyrics, however, has all kinds of controversies surrounding it that make singing them a thorny issue.
The National Anthem is known as the ‘Marcha Real’ (Royal March), or the ‘Marcha Grenadera’ (Grenadier March), and represents one of the three official symbols of Spain.
It will not even be recognised by all Spaniards since you don’t hear it played nearly as much as other countries’ anthems, and the subject of the lyrics is an even touchier topic of conversation than the playing of the music itself.
That’s because, like so many things in Spain having to do with history and national pride, there is a turbulent history in the country of fascism.
Spain and the dictatorship
It may all seem like ancient history, but Spain has only been a democracy since 1975, when the fascist dictator General Franco died. He was the only European dictator of the 20th century to die while still in power.
Many older Spaniards still remember the Franco days, either with horror for the violent political repression that took place, or with barely spoken fondness.
Glorification of any aspect of Francoism is strictly prohibited under Spain’s Law of Historical Democratic Memory, but since Franco was never ousted from power, there remains a strong undercurrent of far-right fervour buried beneath the surface of Spain’s psyche.
At the same time, there are some autonomous communities, mainly those that proudly have their own language and very distinct cultures, that have a history of revolutionary anarchism and strong leftwing leanings.
With the country’s 17 autonomous communities sometimes struggling to stay together and sometimes on the verge of breaking off to form separate countries, something as controversial as nationalistic lyrics to the anthem are a powder keg waiting to explode.
So while Spain’s national anthem used to have lyrics, they were removed due to the potential controversy and social rift they could cause.
There have been several attempts to try to put words to the music music of the Spanish national anthem, but since October 10, 1997 there have officially been none, and it’s likely to stay that way for a while.
What other countries do not have lyrics to their national anthems?
Spain is joined in not having official lyrics for its national anthem only by San Marino, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, although the latter country is not recognised by some nations.
The national anthem of the Republic of Kosovo , called “Europa”, was approved by the country’s parliament on 11 June, 2008. However, it still has no lyrics to avoid offending the Serbian minority after its unilateral independence.
Something similar occurs in the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina. After the bloody war between 1992 and 1995, it has had unofficial lyrics since 2009.
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