Correfocs Are Barcelona’s Noisiest Tradition—And "Fire Devil" Performers Sacrifice Their Hearing to Take Part

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Culture

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Every year on August 15, the Gràcia neighborhood of Barcelona is awoken by a pyrotechnic procession of diables, or “fire devils”, running through its narrow streets, shortly followed by groups of drummers. As revelers dance to the rhythm of percussion and explosions, noise and smoke fill the neighborhood, transforming its atmosphere and marking the beginning of the neighborhood's seven-day local festivities.

These annual events—known as correfocs—are an integral part of the neighborhood's fabric. But lifelong exposure to extreme noise takes a major toll on the performers’ health, in particular their hearing. So why do they keep showing up?

Fire as Culture

Fire has long shaped the rhythms of public life in Catalunya. Its presence can be traced back to before the 14th century and appears in one of the earliest written records of Barcelona’s civic rituals: the Book of Solemnities of 1424. Back then, fire was part of religious celebration. During events such as Corpus Christi, processions moved through the city streets, occasionally accompanied by early pyrotechnic effects or symbolic figures like fire-breathing beasts.

But what started as a ritual element has gradually taken on a life of its own. Over time, fire moved beyond the strictly religious sphere and became a defining feature of Catalunya’s popular culture. Today, it is not just part of the spectacle—it is the spectacle. Fire shapes how communities gather, celebrate and experience the city, embedding itself deeply in collective practices and shared imaginaries.

This is visible throughout the festive calendar, as public celebrations regularly feature large-scale fireworks displays that transform the city into a shared stage to mark local festivities and seasonal transitions. One of the most emblematic moments is the summer solstice on June 23, La Nit de Sant Joan or St John’s Night, when fire and fireworks light up streets, squares and skies.

Fire festivities are organized by neighborhood groups known as colles (colla in singular), and can be divided into three main kinds of representations.

The Ball parlat: Literally meaning “spoken dance,” this is a performance depicting a fight between archangel Saint Michael and Lucifer and his devils. At the end, Lucifer is defeated and leaves, while his devils set off fireworks embedded in their wooden staffs.

The Cercavila: This consists of colles parading around the neighborhood, often wearing costumes and accompanied by music, fireworks and a range of figures depicting giants and humans. They wear costumes, a two-piece set made of thick, flameproof cotton, normally with horns on the hood and a range of custom-painted motifs including devils, snakes, dragons and flames.

Correfocs: Exclusively composed of fire colles, these events take place at night. They consist of devils carrying a wooden stick, the maça, with a metal point containing fireworks. These make a sound while they burn, with a loud bang at the end, known as the thunder. The term correfoc is often used to refer to these festivities more broadly, especially outside of Catalunya.

In both the correfoc and cercavila, the devils in multiple colles set off fireworks while dancing to the beat of the drummers who follow them. The soundtrack to these events is a constant, thunderous roar of pyrotechnic noise mixed with percussion.

Noise Above the Pain Threshold

Gràcia—historically a small village that was once separated from the Roman city of Barcino—is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Barcelona. It is made up of narrow streets flanked by 3-5 story buildings. Noise reverberates in these streets, and traps smoke from fireworks. During a cercavila or correfoc several devils will be “burning” at once, meaning there are multiple fireworks going off simultaneously.

Each pyrotechnic artifact used in the festivities is subject to standard Health and Safety checks, which include a noise limit of 120dB. This is the threshold for pain and hearing damage, equivalent to the noise made by a chainsaw.

But this rule only applies to each artifact individually, and there is currently no requirement to test simultaneous explosions. This means that in a cercavila or a correfoc, especially in narrow streets, noise can reach as high as 175dB – equivalent to a shotgun being fired close to your ear, far higher than the 120dB pain threshold.

The Gràcia devils’ fire and drumming performances take place throughout the week of August 14 to 21 in Gràcia, often multiple times during the day. It is a concentrated exposure to loud music and explosions in a short period of time.

Sacrificing Health for Community

Belonging to a colla means belonging to an established and appreciated aspect of Catalan popular culture. Many people stay in their colla for decades, while some start aged 18 or under (most have a dedicated children’s section) and never leave. For many lifelong fire devils, accrued hearing loss is just something that comes with the territory.

Some devils even wear their hearing loss as a badge of honour and belonging. But more broadly, ear protection is not something all devils wear, even though gloves, eye protection and flame retardant clothing are widely used.

The real question is whether hearing loss is really an intrinsic part of being a devil, and what prevents devils from protecting themselves. Why, for instance, are the loudest fireworks still tested individually, and not in unison as they are actually used? And why are participants not more strongly encouraged to protect their hearing? These discussions are difficult to open up because they can be seen as questioning or even challenging Catalan popular culture itself.

There is polarization among devils themselves on the matter. On the one hand, they are aware of their hearing loss and are under no illusions as to what causes it. However, wearing ear protection is not yet widespread in correfocs or cercavilas, just as it isn’t in so many other non-pyrotecnic activities that can damage hearing, such as concerts, discos or even being at a bar with very loud music.

This may be where the answer lies; perhaps it is not a question of belonging but of social habit. It is socially acceptable to, for instance, protect our eyes from sunlight or dust, but we are not yet used to protecting our hearing. In the case of Barcelona’s fire devils, they pay for this dearly.

Karla Berrens, Tenure track lecturer, Universitat de Barcelona 

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.