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.
This house in the centre of Moià is a 17th-century manorial building with a remarkable architectural and artistic value. But if there is one thing that makes it special, it is that in around 1660 Rafael Casanova, was born here, hero of the defence of Barcelona on 11th September 1714.
Casanova was the son of a well-to-do family of Moià who made their money from trading in grain and wool. Their wealth can be seen in the features of the home, especially in the richly decorated interior. Made up of ground floor, first floor and attic, with a rear garden and basement, highlights include the main façade with sgraffito (decorated plasterwork).
Currently, the house is home to an exhibition which shows the keys to conflict of 1714: from the outbreak of an international war to determine the successor to the Spanish Crown after the death of the heirless Carles II, until the fall of the city of Barcelona at the hands of the Bourbon troops, Rafael Casanova was responsible for the defence of the city as a Mayor and Commander-in-Chief of La Coronela, the armed forces of Barcelona.
Professionals, traders, artisans and citizens come together in fairs and markets in Catalonia every week. They are meetings that, above all, facilitate commercial exchange, but throughout history have also served to make new contacts, reach agreements, and to hold religious celebrations.
Most markets grew up around the crossroads of old roads. The receipt of Royal permission to organise a trade fair is synonymous with economic growth of cities and towns.
At fairs such as the Mercat del Ram of Vic or the Fira de la Candelera of Molins de Rei, all kinds of products are sold. On the other hand, trade fairs such as the Santa Llúcia (Christmas) or Sant Ponç (medicinal herbs) are themed.
In fact, the specialisation in specific products became an effective tool for economic, tourist and cultural development. Examples of these are the Fira de l'Avet (Fir tree fair) in Espinelves and the Càntir (a Catalan jug) fair in Argentona.
Modern fairs, as well as cultural and artistic exhibitions (such as the Live Music Theatre in Vic, the Children's and Youths' Theatre Fair in Igualada and the Fira Mediterrània for shows with traditional Mediterranean roots in Manresa), adopt a new image, but the function is maintained: the human, cultural and commercial interaction.
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.
It doesn't matter that it is not a public holiday. Every 23rd April, the streets, ramblas and squares around the country are filled with books, roses and flags to celebrate the Diada de Sant Jordi (the Day of Saint George), a day of participation in which the written and spoken word takes the leading role.
But the Festival of the Book has not always been linked to the patron saint of Catalonia. Driven by the publisher, Vicent Clavel, to promote the book in Catalonia, the first Book Day was on 7th October 1927. Two years later, the booksellers held it on 23rd April, and the success led to the change of date, which coincided with the death of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare.
Declared a Festa Nacional de Catalunya (National Festival of Catalonia), the Day of Sant Jordi has contributed since its inception to promote the production and marketing of books in Catalan. In addition, readers can interact with their favourite writers. Strolling amongst the book stalls and the tradition of giving roses just adds to the day.
The consolidation of Sant Jordi as the Festa del Llibre, internationally as well, comes with the proclamation by Unesco of 23rd April as World Book and the Rights of the Author Day.
As a social and popular phenomenon, the "festa sardanista" stands out for its ability to capture audiences and dancers. Just a floorboard in a square and a dozen chairs for the "Cobla" musicians.
In the popular Catalan folk dance, characterised by a circle formed by dancers holding hands, the music and melody are as important as the choreography, and have reachd a symphonic value all their own.
Most theories agree that the Sardana has its origin in pre-Roman or Greek dances and that the current dance is an interpretation of the "contrapàs", a liturgical dance from the nineteenth century.
The person responsible for its modernisation and popularisation was the musician Pep Ventura, who during the nineteenth century, changed the structure of the Sardana and introduced the tenor ensemble. Its character identity can be attributed to the leader of the Regionalist League, Francesc Cambo, who, at the beginning of the twentieth century, made the Sardana the "national dance of Catalonia".
Currently, there are 5,000 "sardanista" activities across the territory, including gatherings, dances, performances, concerts, composition contests and membership competitions.
The Christian tradition of the Passion becomes street theatre in this town in Baix Empordà. The Processó de Verges (the Procession of Verges) has more than 300 years of history and is held every Maundy Thursday.
The mystery that it represents is based on a book of verses by Friar Antoni de Sant Jeroni from 1773 that deal with the drama of the last hours of Jesus Christ. The dramatisation of the procession allowed for the ecclesiastical Latin language barrier to be broken and facilitated indoctrination through a common language.
The procession starts from the church at 12 noon. During the tour, the streets of the village, with just the light of the torches, bring to life the scenes of the Passion. Everyone awaits the moment when the "Dansa de la Mort" (Dance of Death) is performed. In this macabre representation with medieval origins, five skeletons organised in the shape of a cross prance and dance to the sound of drums.
Verges is the only town in Catalonia that continues this staging, and for this reason the Processó de Verges was declared a Traditional Festival of National Interest in 1983.
