CATALAN TRADITIONS AND

CUSTOMS

Eva ÁlvarezCarme Elias

Elisabet MartinezAlba Pons

INTRODUCTION

In Catalonia, like in your country, there are lots of traditions and typical customs. The Catalans celebrate them with enthusiasm.

Now, we are going to tell you the most famous and the most exciting festivities.

SARDANES The Sardana is the typical dance of

Catalonia. It is danced by dancers who take their hands making a circle.

The music for the sardanes is played by a cobla, a band consisting of 10 wind instruments, double bass and a tamborí and they are played by 11 musicians.

PATUM The Patum is a popular and traditional festival

that is celebrated each year in Berga (a city 24km away from our secondary school). It is held on feat day around of Corpus Christi.

It consists of several performances of mystical and symbolical figures that dance at the rhythm of a big drum and particularly music. Usually they have fire and fireworks.

EL TABAL (THE DRUM)

TURCS I CAVALLETS (TURKS AND LITTLE HORSES)

LES MACES (THE “MACES”)

LES GUITES (THE MULES)

L'ÀLIGA (THE EAGLE)

ELS NANS VELLS (THE OLD DWARVES)

ELS GEGANTS (THE GIANTS)

ELS NANS NOUS (THE NEW DWARVES)

ELS PLENS (THE "PLENS")

PATUM VIDEOS

You can watch the Patum live on these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdnkG1q0jR0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_kP5Z47jP0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiTjvdi6Oaw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXRmMIS4Oaw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oClZIXkTkKw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWKmGQjLFIY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuclOgz_P8Q&feature=related

SANT JORDI

Sant Jordi (Saint George’s Day) is a Catalan festival celebrated on the 23rd April.

The books sellers sell books in the street, and the flowers sellers sell roses there, too. In Catalonia Sant Jordi is similar to St. Valentine's Day, the love day.

Men give as a present a rose to the women who they love (their wife, their girlfriend, their daughters, their mothers …)

The women give as a present a book for the men who they love (their husbands, their boyfriends, their sons, their fathers…)

SANT JOAN We celebrate Sant Joan on the 24th June

(Saint John). We celebrate the shortest night of the year. At night, after having dinner, we light bonfires in the streets and squares and throw fireworks. Children throw firecrackers outside with his friends.

This night is typical to eat coca of Sant Joan which has cream, crystallized fruit jam and pine kernels.

CASTELLERS

A castell is a human tower traditionaly built during festivals in many places in Catalonia.

At these festivals, several “colles castelleres” (teams) meet and build the most beautiful castell they can.

The castellers are the people who make castells. They wear white trousers, a black sash, a bandana

and a coloured shirt often with the team's emblem. The most important colla castellera is “The Xiquets

de Valls”

THE END!