Catalonia - Art and Culture 2018

two women celebrating Sant Jordi.

FeastofCorpusChristi Corpus Christi is a Catholic feast celebrating to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This holiday usually falls in June. In Catalonia, it is associated with several traditions, including the carpet of flowers in Sitges and la Garriga as well as of Arbúcies and Sallent (called enramades ); the ‘Patumde Berga’ and the ou comballa (the dance of the egg). In the towns of Barcelona and the Costa Daurada, an egg is placed in the spring of water coming out of a fountain, which is decorated with flowers and seasonal fruit. summer revetlladesant Joan The longest night of the year is celebrated on 23 June. It coincides with the arrival of summer and the end of the school year. It is a festival that celebrates youth and abundance, in which fire is the main feature. Both old furniture gathered by neighbours (in the cities) and

trees cut expressly for the celebration are burnt (fire festivals in the Pyrenees, considered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity). The festival takes place on the street, in the squares, on the beach, etc. The classic sponge cake with candied fruit, cream, or crackling is eaten as onlookers toast with cava. It is a magical night and is well worth not missing. mare de déu del carme The virgin of Carmen is the patron saint of seafarers. In Catalan fishing villages, the processions typically involve decorated boats, floral offerings, songs, and fireworks. 11 September is Catalonia’s national day. It is a holiday that is generally celebrated with large gatherings in the streets. It commemorates the fall of Barcelona on 11 September 1714, at the end of the War of Succession between the Bourbons and Austria after a tough 14-month siege. laDiada (Catalan NationalDay)

© Joan puig

© oriol llauradó

pole dancers celebrating the local festival in REUS.

books. It is also a day on which lovers’ day is celebrated, as the legend of the knight Saint George (Sant Jordi in Catalan) says that he slayed the dragon when it was about to devour a princess. From the Dragon’s blood, a rose bush grew and Saint George offered the princess one of the flowers. The streets of Catalonia fill with stands selling books and roses. It’s worth seeing. It is the festival of literature and love. SANT ponç Every 11 May, calle Hospital, in the Barcelona Raval district, becomes an open-air herbal market. Since the sixteenth century, a market dedicated to natural health and healthy food, such as honey, has taken place. The day this market is held coincides with the time when

godchildren on Easter Monday. It is decorated with chocolate eggs and toy figures. Days before, Catalan cake shops fill their shop windows with edible sculptures which are certainly not very discreet, in the best sense of the expression. SANT JORDI Every 23 April, we celebrate the anniversaries of the deaths of Shakespeare and Cervantes. To remember both literary geniuses, people in Catalonia give each other

all year round festesmajors These are the large festivals celebrated by towns and cities. Among these, are the celebration of Mercè (24 September), in Barcelona, Santa Tecla (23 September) in Tarragona, Sant Narcís (29 October) in Girona and Sant Anastasi (11 May) in Lleida. In Vic the festa major is held in honour of Sant Miquel dels Sants (5 July), in Terrassa the patron saint is Sant Pere (29 June). Reus also honors Sant Pere in a celebration that takes place on the same day. Vilafranca del Penedès celebrates in honour of Sant Fèlix (31 August) and Tortosa honours the Mare de Déu de la Cinta (25 March). In general, most festivals are held in the summer, and for enthusiasts, it is possible to go from festival to festival for weeks. The dances of giants, correfoc with devils, concerts, and popular meals, are always featured at these events.

autumn castanyada

On the eve of 31 October, people get together to eat chestnuts, sweet potatoes and especially some sweets known by the name of panellets , recognised as a Guaranteed Traditional Speciality by the European Union. These are cakes made with ground almond, sugar, and egg, decorated with pine seeds, chopped almonds, chocolate, or quince. It is speculated that their origin comes from ancestral funerary rites in which these cakes were offered to the gods. They are also related to the arrival of the cold and the need for high-calorie foods.

© oriol llauradó making carpets with flower petals.

the medicinal herbs are in full bloom. It is held in Barcelona and other Catalan towns.

a bonfire on the night of sant joan, in the pyrenees.

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Experience Catalonia

Experience Catalonia

© oriol llauradó