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Photo by Jesús Sancho
Barcelona for free: Catalan culture
2 of 2
Photo by Jesús Sancho
Barcelona for free: Catalan culture
Go ahead; gorge on Catalan culture for free. From May 15th until September 15th, every Saturday you can savor a celebration of all things Catalan complete with sardanes, castellers and gigants in front of Barcelona’s Cathedral—free of charge.
The sun beats down on my head, and my makeup drips down my face. Sweat clusters in droplets around my oversized sunglasses. But watching the castellers shimmy up each other like trees, climbing towards the sky despite the oppressive humidity, I can’t complain.
Circles stacked on circles comprised of Catalans outfitted in blue shirts and white trousers, their red sashes tied over wide black belts would likely be as much of a success at American Fourth of July festivities as they are during La Diada and La Mercè in Barcelona.
Of course US Independence Day has little more than excessive flag-waving and a general air of celebration in common with the Catalans’ cherished 'Diada'. While July 4th marks the approximate anniversary of America declaring its independence as a country, marked nowadays with fireworks and barbecues, in Catalunya, September 11th celebrates the fall of Barcelona to the Bourbon monarchy after 14 months of siege with flowers, speeches from politicians, and what else? Castellers.
As I reflect on holidays where I’m from and where I live, progressively smaller people clamber up the human castle to the shrill and slightly unpleasant whistle of the gralla, a traditional wooden flute. Finally, a tiny girl wearing a helmet, the enxaneta, reaches the top and briefly raises an arm in the air. The child wobbles, then begins the long climb down, and the collective sigh of relief among her fellow castellers and the general public is almost palpable.
The castell carefully dismantles itself and the show is over. I turn to Jesus and ask him, not for the first time, why Catalans won’t consider performing this spectacle on a safer surface…gym mats, old mattresses, or just a flat and grassy lawn? It would certainly reduce the risks involved for the little ones that perch so precariously at the top… because in the end, helmets only protect a child’s head.
Jesus rolls his eyes. His stubborn American wife is, as per-usual, questioning the status quo, and long-standing local tradition. “The tradition has already been sufficiently modified with the helmets.” His annoyed look says it all… I should just let it go already.
Post-castellers, I enjoy a few minutes elbowing my way through the crowds and watching the strange Pedrera gegants dancing around. Massive humanoid bodies topped with elaborate metal and mosaiced helmets, they’re a strange cross between Star Wars characters and the Knights of the Round Table to my untrained eye, until Jesus points out that some of the heads are shaped like the unusual chimneys of Gaudí’s Casa Milá. Whatever their appearances, I bow in respect all the same, as they are the official giants for my neighborhood, Eixample.
Intermittent explanations over a loudspeaker in Castilian, Catalan, English and French are mostly ignored by the murmuring masses, and while I appreciate the effort involved, I’ll admit I’m not much interested in listening either. The show must go on, so why not let it speak for itself?
Part of me mourns that today’s festivities include sardanes and not balls de bastons. Because, while I find so much hopping and dancing in a circle (sardanes) tiring after a while, I’m inexplicably amused by jumping and rhythmic banging on sticks.
Oh well, maybe another Saturday sometime soon. There are Saturdays to spare—this celebration of all things Catalan runs every Saturday until September 15th with the exception of August—because even the gegants have to go on vacation sometime.
Location: Avenida de la Catedral. For a detailed schedule of events check out the official calendar here
Chris Ciolli is a US copywriter and translator currently living in Barcelona. She has two blogs of her own: www.barcelonaforidiots.com all about the city and www.midwesternerabroad.com, where she writes about her travels.