{"id":87118,"date":"2017-05-17T11:14:29","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T09:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=87118"},"modified":"2017-05-14T11:19:11","modified_gmt":"2017-05-14T09:19:11","slug":"catalan-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Interesting Catalan traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Catalonia is a fascinating region of Spain, with a strong, patriotic people, a rich history, and a colorful culture. In this article, <strong>ShBarcelona <\/strong>will introduce you to some of the most <strong>interesting Catalan traditions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/#Lou_com_balla\" title=\"L&#8217;ou com balla\">L&#8217;ou com balla<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/#The_Festes_Majors\" title=\"The Festes Majors\">The Festes Majors<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/#The_castellers\" title=\"The castellers\">The castellers<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/#The_correfocs\" title=\"The correfocs\">The correfocs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/#The_Sardana\" title=\"The Sardana\">The Sardana<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/#Gigantes_y_Cabezudos\" title=\"Gigantes y Cabezudos\">Gigantes y Cabezudos<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-traditions\/#Christmas_traditions\" title=\"Christmas traditions\">Christmas traditions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lou_com_balla\"><\/span>L&#8217;ou com balla<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_87125\" style=\"width: 243px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87125\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-87125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tetegil-via-VisualHunt-233x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"233\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-87125\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by tetegil via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>L&#8217;ou com balla<\/strong> or\u00a0<strong>The dancing egg<\/strong> is a very particular tradition which takes place in a number of cities of\u00a0<strong>Catalonia<\/strong> during Corpus Christi, a Christian rite that happens the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, 60 days after Easter, celebrating the belief in the body and blood of Jesus Christ&#8217;s Real Presence in the Eucharist.\u00a0In\u00a0<strong>Catalonia<\/strong>, an <strong>egg<\/strong> is placed on top of a jet shooting out of a water fountain, which makes the <strong>egg<\/strong> keep rotating, which gives the impression that it is <strong>dancing.<\/strong> The <strong>egg<\/strong> is previously emptied and the hole is covered with wax, stopping it from being filled with water while on the fountain. The fountains used for this are usually adorned with beautiful flowers and sometimes even fresh fruit. If you want to see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_TE2s4UehLQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>l&#8217;ou com balla<\/strong><\/a>, make sure to visit Barcelona at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/activities-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">appropriate time of year<\/a> and to find and to get to Santa Eulalia&#8217;s Cathedral early, to find a good spot among the crowd.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Festes_Majors\"><\/span>The Festes Majors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Catalans<\/strong> love celebrations and the\u00a0<strong>Festes Majors<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>are some of the most popular ones among locals and tourists. <strong>Festa Major<\/strong>, which translates to &#8220;Big Party&#8221;, refers to what is usually a week-long celebration that takes place in a neighborhood, with a number of concerts, attractions, and food stalls. There are many <strong>Festes Majors<\/strong> that take place across the city but\u00a0most famous one is the\u00a0<strong>Festa Major de Gr\u00e0cia<\/strong>, which happens in the month of August. The neighbors work hard on the preparations, and each street gets decorated with a different theme, some with quite spectacular results.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_castellers\"><\/span>The castellers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another impressive demonstration that can usually be spotted during the major\u00a0<strong>celebrations in Catalonia<\/strong> is the building of a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/castellers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>castell<\/strong><\/a>. Basically, a\u00a0<strong>castell<\/strong> is a human tower, which is formed by a large group of people called the\u00a0<strong>castellers<\/strong>. There is usually a large base, formed by the strongest individuals, then a large tower is built on top of that, and a child will climb it all the way to the top. There are various\u00a0<strong>castellers<\/strong> groups in Catalonia, each with its own colors, but all of them use the traditional\u00a0<strong>casteller<\/strong> uniform, which includes pants and a shirt and the most important part of it, a strap that is tightly wrapped around their waists, which other\u00a0<strong>castellers<\/strong> will use to climb.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/bank-holidays-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bank holidays in Barcelona<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_correfocs\"><\/span>The correfocs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_87126\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87126\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-87126\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/VRoig-via-VisualHunt-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-87126\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by VRoig via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The\u00a0<strong>correfocs<\/strong> aren&#8217;t exclusive to <strong>Catalonia<\/strong> but they are a very prominent part of\u00a0<strong>traditional Catalan celebrations<\/strong>. A group of people get dressed up in devil costumes and run around with pitchforks that are rigged with fireworks. They are usually followed by a beast-like effigy which spits fire, all of this to the sound of music. It is common to find <strong>correfocs<\/strong> displays in big celebrations like the\u00a0<strong>Festes Majors<\/strong> and\u00a0<strong>La Merc\u00e8<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Sardana\"><\/span>The Sardana<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you have visited Barcelona before, you may have already stumbled upon a group of people gathered around in the circle, hand in hand, moving back and forth in a rhythmic motion. If that was the case, you were probably witnessing the dancing of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/XhK0BIZoyac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>Sardana<\/strong><\/a>. The dance is usually performed to the sound of a number of wind instruments, double bass and a small drum, with the music usually being played by a band of 11 members. Holding hands and with their arms raised high, the dancers perform a number of leg and foot movements that are usually dictated by a leader.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gigantes_y_Cabezudos\"><\/span>Gigantes y Cabezudos<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another tradition that is not exclusive to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/medieval-catalonia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Catalonia<\/strong><\/a> but which is an essential part of a lot of the\u00a0<strong>Catalan celebrations\u00a0<\/strong>is that of the\u00a0<strong>gigantes\u00a0<\/strong>and the\u00a0<strong>cabezudos<\/strong>, or &#8220;giants&#8221; and &#8220;big heads&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The <strong>giants,<\/strong> as the name indicates, are large figures usually representing kings, queens, bourgeois people, peasants and other relevant historical characters. These figures, which are usually made of papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9, wood and aluminum, are big enough so that a person can stand inside them and make them move around and dance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The\u00a0<strong>cabezudos<\/strong>, on the other hand, are usually short characters, with very big heads. In this case, only the head is build out of papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9, which people use in combination with a costume. While the\u00a0<strong>gigantes<\/strong> are usually good-looking figures, the\u00a0<strong>cabezudos<\/strong> usually have exaggerated features for comical effect.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/biggest-celebrations-in-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Biggest celebrations in Barcelona<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Christmas_traditions\"><\/span>Christmas traditions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_87127\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87127\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-87127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Barcelona.cat-via-VisualHunt-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-87127\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Barcelona.cat via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you visit Barcelona during the winter, before <strong>Christmas time<\/strong>, you will undoubtedly run into one of the city&#8217;s Christmas markets. The most famous Christmas market in the city is the\u00a0<strong>Fira de Santa Ll\u00facia<\/strong>, which usually takes place in front of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catedral-eulalia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Santa Eulalia&#8217;s Cathedral<\/a>, at Plaza Nova, in the Gothic neighborhood. This the perfect place for you to find two of the most interesting and amusing characters in\u00a0<strong>Catalan tradition:<\/strong> the\u00a0<strong>Ti\u00f3 de Nadal<\/strong> and the\u00a0<strong>Caganer<\/strong>. Both of these little fellows play an important part in traditional\u00a0<strong>Catalan Christmas celebrations<\/strong>, both bringing gifts of sorts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The\u00a0<strong>Ti\u00f3 de Nadal<\/strong>, known by foreigners as\u00a0<strong>Christmas Log<\/strong> or\u00a0<strong>Caga Ti\u00f3<\/strong> is, as the English name indicates, a <strong>log<\/strong> that is decorated with a smiling face, a pair of tiny legs and a traditional Catalan hat. This friendly-looking fellow enters families&#8217; houses in the beginning of December, particularly houses that have children in it. The parents teach the kids to feed the\u00a0<strong>Ti\u00f3<\/strong>, leaving them fruit and other food items that are mysteriously gone in the morning. Some families cover the <strong>log<\/strong> with a small <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/blanket\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">blanket<\/a> to help make it comfortable. <strong>Christmas Eve<\/strong> is the\u00a0<strong>Ti\u00f3<\/strong>&#8216;s big night, when it is brought to a common area so that the children can sing the\u00a0<strong>Caga Ti\u00f3<\/strong> song, while hitting the\u00a0<strong>log<\/strong> with sticks. In the song, the children tell the <strong>log<\/strong> to poop gifts for them, like nougat, hazelnuts, and cheese,\u00a0if he wants to prevent being hit any further with the sticks. When the song ends, the children run out of the room\u00a0and the parents sneak small gifts under the\u00a0<strong>Ti\u00f3<\/strong>&#8216;s blanket. Some families keep their\u00a0<strong>logs<\/strong> for the next couple of\u00a0<strong>Christmases<\/strong>, while others, in a bizarre twist, end up throwing the\u00a0<strong>log<\/strong> into the fireplace.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The\u00a0<strong>Caganer<\/strong> is another little fellow that makes the <strong>Catalan Christmas<\/strong> so interesting. The\u00a0<strong>Caganer<\/strong>, whose name translates literally as &#8220;shitter&#8221;, is a small ceramic figurine of a man, dressed in traditional clothing, complete with a red hat, who happily squats over his newly produced poop. And what role does this happy fellow play on the <strong>Catalan Christmas<\/strong>? The role of prosperity-bringer. The\u00a0<strong>Caganer<\/strong> is placed in the Nativity Scene, together with Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, except that this <strong>Catalan<\/strong> fellow is usually hidden behind bushes or some other place where his presence is not too obvious so that the children can have fun looking for it. It is said that the <strong>Caganer<\/strong> brings prosperity because it fertilizes the fields and that those who do not add a\u00a0<strong>Caganer<\/strong> to their Nativity scene will not enjoy that great of a year.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Looking for an apartment in the city?<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ShBarcelona<\/a><\/strong> is the answer.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>* Main photo by Amaianos via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"87118\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 120px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">4<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">4<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            votes        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Catalonia is a fascinating region of Spain, with a strong, patriotic people, a rich history, and a colorful culture. In this article, ShBarcelona will introduce you to some of the most interesting Catalan traditions. Table of Contents L&#8217;ou com ballaThe Festes MajorsThe castellersThe correfocsThe SardanaGigantes y CabezudosChristmas traditions L&#8217;ou com balla L&#8217;ou com balla or\u00a0The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":87128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4348],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87118"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87118"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87130,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87118\/revisions\/87130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}