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| Sardana Dancing | The 'Cobla' | Statue to the Sardana, Barcelona | Fireworks often end Festivals |
The ten Spanish National Public Holidays are supplemented by five Catalonian Regional Holidays. In addition, towns around Catalonia and the Costa Brava coast celebrate their own Festivals. Your Spanish holiday will be enhanced by including a festival or two so check out the dates below before booking your accommodation and flights. Please note: Dates are subject to change - check with the appropriate Tourist Office (web addresses are given where possible)
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At many festivals, you will see circles of people dancing the sardana,
Catalunya´s national dance, and one which resembles no other
Spanish dance. Its origins are thought to lie in the graceful dances of
ancient Greece (which you can still see depicted on antique pottery in
museums throughout the Mediterranean). One theory is that the Greeks introduced the dance during the period in which they maintained trading posts on Catalunya´s northern shores thousands of years ago. Others insist that the sardana was not practiced here until the fifteenth-century Catalan occupation of Sardinia, hence the name. In any case, the sardana in its present form emerged during the Renaixença (the 19C. Catalan renaissance) and had become so much a symbol of national identity that it was banned during the Franco period. Sardana dancers link hands with raised arms, forming circles which grow bigger and bigger as more people join in. Traditionally, couples can join in at any point, but cannot cut in between a man and his partner on the right. When the circle gets too big, the dancers form more circles. One of the main features of the dance is its spontaneity - for instance, except on special occasions, dancers wear everyday clothes, (although the lace-up espadrille shoe is a perennial favorite for its pliability and comfort). People of all ages and ranks in life join hands and dance as if to emphasize that whatever their differences, they are first and foremost Catalans. The spirit of unity generated by the sardana is truly impressive. An extremely disciplined dance, the sardana calls for exact movements and expert timing, provided by a leader in each circle. For this reason, unless you think you´ve really got the knack, it's generally inadvisable for visitors to join in - one wrong move can put the entire circle out of step. Along with the sardana, there are numerous other traditional dances specific to different towns or regions, often performed in local costume and evoking formative episodes of the area´s mythologies. The cobla is the band which provides the highly unusual music for the dancing of Sardanas and the building of Castells. It consists of eleven players, and is made up of woodwind and brass, together with double bass. The shrill oboe-like tenora long ago replaced the bagpipe as the leading instrument. The music is lyrical, somewhat repetitive, and fun; sounding like an odd mix of Bavarian Um-pah-pah and Middle Eastern music. The most celebrated cobla band, and the official band of the Generalitat, is La Principal from la Bisbal. Visit the Catalunya Turisme website for more festivals and dates of this year's events |
and Adults & children in fancy dress. Local residents can fully
participate and enjoy this Carnival, especially in the tourists
resorts where they usually have to sacrifice involvement as they are
then pampering the visitors. During the Roses Carnestoltes, huge
paellas are cooked on the beach and served with local wines. The
carnival culminates on Ash Wednesday, when a sardine is
ceremoniously buried in the sand on the beach as an offering to the
sea. Roses Tourist Offce: +34
972 257331. Email otroses@ddgi.es 
Sant
Joan (St John's Day - Midsummer's eve): Spectacular fireworks
displays take place throughout Catalunia (in Roses, this usually
takes place on the main beach at 22:00hrs). There are also countless
private fireworks parties, on the beaches, terraces and streets,
with local children joining in by lighting firecrackers. The
cacophony of noise continues into the small hours. Special Coca
(cake) is eaten and traditionally washed down with cava. In Blanes,
the world-famous week-long International Fireworks Competition takes
place. Blanes Tourist Office: +34
972 33 03 48. Email: otblanes@ddgi.es
Festa
Major de Vilafranca del Penedes (Vilafranca): The festival
concentrates on Human Tower (Casteller) competitions, where teams
compete to build the highest tower (completed when a small boy
called anxaneta - weathercock - climbs to the top and raises his
hands to form a crucifix). There are various categories, depending
on the number or men forming the base level. Vilafranca
Tourist Office:
Diada
de Catalunya (Catalonia National Day): Sardana Dancing and Red &
Yellow Catalan flags hanging everywhere! Marks the day in 1714 when
Catalonia lost it's independence with the fall of Barcelona to
Felipe V. Catalan separatist demonstrations take place.