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''Seny'' (; from Proto-Germanic *sinnaz) is a form of ancestral
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
wisdom or sensibleness. It involves well-pondered perception of situations, level-headedness, awareness, integrity, and right action. More specifically, a ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
'' anthropologist defined ''seny'' as "a kind of refined good sense and self-realization."
The opposite of ''seny'' is known as ''rauxa'' () "sudden determination or action".
Cultural significance
Many Catalans consider ''seny'' something unique to their culture, a true
Catalan symbol. ''Seny'' as a particular characteristic of Catalan society is based on a set of ancestral local customs stemming from the
scale of values and
social norms
Social norms are shared standards of acceptable behavior by groups. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members of a society, as well as be codified into rules and laws. Social normative influences or soci ...
of traditional Catalan rural society. The values of ''seny'' were transmitted from generation to generation without much change by the exemplary behaviour of the elder members of the family, as well as in the shape of aphorisms and moral stories. The latter were largely based on
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
values and their examples and illustrations often included animals and plants that were common in rural Catalonia.
This oral lore caught the attention of
Josep Torras i Bages
Josep Torras i Bages (), born at Les Cabanyes, Alt Penedès, on 12 September 1846, died at Vic, Osona, on 7 February 1916, was a Catalan thinker, writer, and bishop. He was one of the main figures in the turn of the 20th century Catholic Cat ...
, bishop of
Vic
Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...
at the beginning of the 20th century.
He became very interested in the pattern in which the ''seny'' was transmitted from one generation to the other as an
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
. Thus he encouraged
Josep Abril i Virgili Josep Abril i Virgili (1869-1918) was a self-taught Catalan poet and playwright. He specialized in the production of works with easily understood and popular moral lessons, which were publicised through Roman Catholic organizations.
Publications
...
(1869–1918), a writer, to gather the moral stories and illustrate them in a book that was published as ''Bon seny'' ("Good sense"). This more or less representative compilation of moral lessons regarding ''seny'' was illustrated by artist
Joan Junceda
Joan Junceda, full name Joan García Junceda i Supervia (1881 in Barcelona – 1948 in Blanes), was one of the most important Catalan artists and illustrators in the first half of the 20th century. His father was from Asturian origin. Junce ...
(1881–1948). Published in the Catalan language before the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
''Bon seny'' became rare under General
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
, when so much Catalan printed material had been burned and printing in Catalan was severely restricted.
[Bon seny, aforismes, faules i acudits; Balmes DL, Barcelona, Reprinted 1984]
Many of the ''seny'' proverbs that defined traditional Catalan values have lost most of their meaning. The reason is the erosion of Christian values as fundamental in today's
post-Christian
Postchristianity is the situation in which Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion of a society but has gradually assumed values, culture, and world view, worldviews that are not necessarily Christians, Christian. Post-Christian ten ...
Catalan society, which now sees itself as based largely on secular principles.
''Seny'' is mentioned in the motto of
castell
A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community.
At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...
s, the Catalan tradition of building human towers, as one of the values of that endeavour: ''Força, equilibri, valor i seny'' (strength, balance, courage, and ''seny'').
Examples
*Many of the ''seny'' aphorisms are short:
*The following story, ''La rata magra'' or ''La rata engarjolada'', illustrates the dangers of greed:
See also
*
Josep Torras i Bages
Josep Torras i Bages (), born at Les Cabanyes, Alt Penedès, on 12 September 1846, died at Vic, Osona, on 7 February 1916, was a Catalan thinker, writer, and bishop. He was one of the main figures in the turn of the 20th century Catholic Cat ...
*
Reasonable person
In law, a reasonable person, reasonable man, or the man on the Clapham omnibus, is a hypothetical person of legal fiction crafted by the courts and communicated through case law and jury instructions.
Strictly according to the fiction, it is ...
and
moron in a hurry, legal concepts
*
Sisu
SiSU (SiSU information structuring universe or Structured information, serialized units), is a Unix command line-oriented framework for document structuring, publishing and search.
Usage
Using markup applied to a document, or a collection of do ...
, a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
word meaning inner strength
Bibliography
*
Ausiàs March
Ausiàs March (Catalan and ; 1400March 3, 1459) was a medieval Valencian poet and knight from Gandia, Valencia. He is considered one of the most important poets of the "Golden Century" (''Segle d'or'') of Catalan/Valencian literature.
Biog ...
, ''Plena de Seny.''
*
Cerverí de Girona
Cerverí de Girona (; fl. 1259 – 1285) was a Catalan troubadour born Guillem de Cervera in Girona. He was the most prolific troubadour, leaving behind some 114 lyric poems among other works, including an ''ensenhamen'' of proverbs for his s ...
, ''Obra moral; Oració de tot dia; Mal dit ben dit; Testament; La faula del rossinyol; sermó; proverbis.''
* Jaume Raventós, ''Proses de bon seny, morals i socials''. "Foment de pietat catalana". Barcelona 1923 (4 volums)
*
Josep Maria Folch i Torres Josep is a Catalan masculine given name equivalent to Joseph (Spanish ''José'').
People named Josep include:
* Josep Bargalló (born 1958), Catalan philologist and former politician
* Josep Bartolí (1910-1995), Catalan painter, cartoonist an ...
, ''Historietes exemplars,'' Barcelona 1938 (10 volums). Reed. Editorial Balmes, 1984.
*
Gaziel
Agustí Calvet Pascual (; Sant Feliu de Guíxols; October 7, 1887 – Barcelona; April 12, 1964), known as Gaziel (), was a Spanish journalist, writer and publisher.
Life and works
Before the Spanish Civil War
He studied humanities in Barcelon ...
, ''Seny, treball i llibertat''. 1963
References
External links
Carta del Bisbe de Vic a Jaume Raventós en aplegar els volums titulats ''Proses de bon Seny''
{{Catalonia
Catalan symbols
Ethics
Virtue
Oral tradition
Catalan words and phrases