City and Culture

Castellers

Castells (the Catalan word for castles) is a cultural phenomenon particular to Catalonia consisting of erecting human towers. This tradition originated at the end of the 18th century in Valls, Tarragona, when rival groups of people or 'colles', began to compete in constructing the different kinds of human towers that we recognise nowadays.

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Sardanes

The sardana is a type of ancient folk dance, usually performed during festivities and is, in fact, considered the national dance of Catalonia. The dancers or sardanistes form a circle of alternating men and women, women standing to the right of the men and holding hands throughout the dance. The dance is performed to the sound of a live orchestra known as a cobla and has an introduction followed by a series of different dance movements.

Gegants

Gegants are large figures typical of the processions during Catalan Festa Majors. They often represent monarchs, the nobility, characters dressed in traditional clothing or famous local people. The origin of gegants in Catalonia goes back to the 15th century, and the earliest documented occurrence is a Corpus Christi procession in Barcelona in 1424 in which an oversized figure of Goliath, accompanied by David and Saint Christopher, takes part in the parade.

La Diada

11 September

The National Day of Catalunya is known as La Diada and is celebrated on September 11th every year to commemorate the loss of Catalonia's laws and institutions after the Siege of Barcelona in 1714. In 1980, the very first law passed by the restored Parliament of Catalonia declared La Diada de l'Onze de Setembre a Catalan national symbol.

One of the few articles in the Catalan Statute of Autonomy from 2006, remaining untouched by the Spanish Constitutional Court, is Article 8, which specifies September 11th as the National Day of Catalunya, Els Segadors as the national anthem and La Senyera as the flag.

La Castanyada

31 October

The Castanyada is a Catalan folk tradition celebrated on All Saints’ Day to honour the dead and celebrate the coming of autumn. The origin of this festival is found in ancient burial rituals where families gathered around the table to eat typical autumn food, such as chestnuts – castanyas, sweet potatoes – moniatos or pumpkin - carabassa, and sweets (panellets), as they remember their dead. You might think it is weird to see so many stalls in the streets selling freshly roasted castanyas and moniatos, but make sure you try them, they are delicious!

Calçotada

January to March

Catalonia has its unique culinary traditions, eating calçots being one of them. The Calçotada is a gastronomic event originating in Valls, Alt Camp, in the province of Tarragona. The event soon extended, however, to other provinces. Calçots are similar to leeks, larger than a typical green onion, and milder, too. They are prepared directly over a fire on a barbeque grill. The Calçotada is usually celebrated towards the end of the winter and beginning of spring.