Teamwork, effort and a spirit of self-improvement. These are the values that embody "Els castells" (human towers), a cultural practice with more than 200 years of history and declared in 2010 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The oldest references to these human towers date back to the eighteenth century b>: the towers consisting of two or three people were the culmination of the "Ball de Valencians" (Valencians' Dance) unique to the festivals in the province of Tarragona. When these towers became independent from the rest of the festivities, "els castells" developed into an exhibition with its own character.
Its popularity has fluctuated over the years. After becoming established in the nineteenth century, with "castells" of up to nine levels, the practice declined in the early twentieth century, and resurfaced during the 1960s.
The golden era of "els castells" began in the 1990s and continues today. The creation of new groups with a young and multicultural profile, achieving spectacular new feats, and television broadcasting of "castells" exhibitions have contributed to its resurgence.
Today there are more than 100 groups in the Països Catalans (Catalan territory), with 12,000 participants and 12,000 "castells"being built every year.
During Corpus Christi, the capital of Berguedà transforms itself with the celebration of "Patum", a singular festival in Catalonia that has continued practically without interruption since the fifteenth century.
The origin of this tradition, which in 2005 was recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of Intangible World Heritage dates back to the "entreméses", paratheatrical performances that were part of the medieval processions of Corpus Christi.
The main days of the celebration are Thursday and Sunday. At noon, Patum is more reserved and solemn, while at night it is festive and participatory. The main protagonists and events of the festival are the drums, the Turks and Little Knights, the Maces, the Mules, the Eagle, the Old Dwarves, the Giants, the New Dwarves, the "Plens" (fire devils) and the "Tirabol" (final dance).
The climax of the Patum is the "Plens", fire devils which transform Berga's main square into a fiery hell. The main characters of the festival dance to the rhythm of drum music and the music of Joaquim Serra composed in the late nineteenth century.
Bread, wine and oil. The essence of the Mediterranean diet, shared by Iberians, Celts, Greeks, Romans, Barbarians and Arabs, and based on these three ingredients. A combination of simple food--varied and balanced-- that throughout the centuries, without losing its own identity, has been enriched by the contributions and the mixing of ancient cultures.
As such, from theMiddle and Far East came cereals, legumes and many fruits and vegetables such as carrots, onions and apples. From Europe, cabbage and asparagus. From the Far East, chickpeas and aubergines. From Southeast Asia and Oceania, rice, pepper and sugar cane. From Africa, melon.From America, potatoes and tomatoes.
The existence of this cuisine is due in large part to the characteristics of the region, with the dry and rough nature of the Mediterranean Basin, where olive trees, vineyards and grain adapt perfectly. Orchards and small woods complement the landscape, along with a warm climate.
Since 2010, the Mediterranean diet has been included in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. One of the reasons for the bid, submitted jointly by Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco, was to protect this model of healthy eating against socio-cultural changes resulting from globalisation.
On the east bank of Lake Banyoles, between Paratge dels Desmais and Caseta de Fusta and following the landscaped walkways, some unique constructions stand out: the fisheries.
The construction of these fishing platforms began in the 19th century and continued until 1931, when the Council banned the building of any more. Originally simple, they became more sophisticated as time went on. Their form is functional, becoming large, wider structures with the capacity for more boats, a symbol of social and economic prestige.
As a result of the expansion of the Catalan bourgeoisie and the practice of water sports, the fisheries were the object of reforms throughout the 20th century, both to increase their storage capacity, and so people could stay there.
Currently they can only be viewed from the outside as they are privately-owned.
In the Middle Ages, the town combined Christian practices with rituals of pagan origin. As a reaction, the feast of Corpus Christi, a new celebration in honour of the Blessed Sacrament, was born, which over time lost much of its religious character and became a social event and festival.
The first celebrations of Corpus Christi in Catalonia were those of Barcelona (1320), Manresa (1322), Vic (1330), Tortosa (1330), Solsona (1331) and Bagà (1333). The festival revolved around the triumphal procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets and squares of towns and cities.
The hierarchy and protocol, vital to the organisation of the Corpus, from the beginning co-existed with farcical interludes. These Christianisations of pagan elements sought to moralise and educate those who saw the procession, but in the end the playful overcame the instructive. This facilitated the appearance of the "bullícies" of the Blessed Sacrament, the origin of the Patum de Berga.
Other characteristic elements of the Corpus are the Ou com Balla, an empty egg that rises and dances as if by magic on the jet of water of a fountain, and carpets of flowers, ephemeral works of art that were trampled on by the procession and that survive in towns like Sitges, Arbúcies and la Garriga.
