Festa Major

Visca!

Matt's back in Barcelona!

The beautiful cathedral.

The time I'd spent in Romania was great. I was able to get back into teaching and enjoy it after a long break away, as well as get a chance to do a bit of travelling in a new and interesting country and get some lovely photos in. I know that I am truly at my happiest when travelling - even though I don't think I could be constantly travelling, as I love having my real friends close and also have a place to rest for a while, it fills me with purpose, energy and joy. I find that if I don't get away from the day-to-day to hike, or even just take a few photos, I get agitated and feel 'trapped.' Since coming back to Spain this year, people here are always asking me "why are you living here when you're from Australia?" For me the answer is simple: I love it here. I then have to give them the long answer, as people from here don't really know what they have - a common syndrome no matter where you come from. Weather plays a big part in happiness I believe, and so when I was in the UK and people asked why I was here instead of Australia, it wasn't for the weather, and it wasn't to live - it was a short stint for travelling and experiences. Here in Spain, and Catalunya, the weather is typically Southern European, or Mediterranean, so cold in Winter and very warm in Summer. But the Winter is not bitterly cold like Central Europe, nor is it wet and horrible like the UK, so it's fun to rug up, put your jacket and scarf on, duck into the next bar and un-layer and have a nice (and cheap!) drink with your mates. Summer is long and warm, and there is plenty to do around here - moutains and coast line is what makes up most of the area outside Barcelona. I feel at home here, but also I feel as if I'm travelling - the best combination.

Happy Festa Major!

Row, row, row your Paella!

Correfocs in Cardedeu.

I was back in Barcelona, but summer was not over yet. In fact, it was only really kicking off. During the month of August there are festivals everywhere here, from villages to cities, that last for a week and celebrate the traditions and culture from the area. This time of year is known as Festa Major, and it's my favourite time of year. Cardedeu, the village where I used to live, was my first stop. Although considered a 'village,' there are about 15,000 people living there and in the small residential suburbs around, and it holds many cultural events, Festa Major being a great party here. Of course, being such a small place, I pretty much know everyone too! During the day there are activities for kids and parents, things like the 'Paella Popular,' or the Popular Paella, which is a huge dish, big enought to feed everyone in town! The paella dish they use is about 4m in diametre, ingredients are thrown in by the box-load (prawns, peas, tomatoes), rice by the truck load, and all stirred nicely using boat oars. Els gegants (Giants) are also a tradition here - people get under and carry a huge 'giant'on their shoulders, no easy feat as this things way a ton! They dance to music in the village, Catalan grallas and drums making their distinctive sound. 

The crazy Correfocs in Cardedeu - the whole village gets in there!

The Verro hunted by the Diables.

The Diables in Cardedeu.

As the sun sets, the 'Diables' come out to cause havoc. People dressed up and devils and demons gather in the main square under the church, all wearing red and black outfits with hoods, holding pikes with firecrackers on the end. This is my favourite part of the festivities - these 'devils' dancing and prance around the small streets of the village, fireworks going off and spraying sparks everywhere, the townspeople following them, dancing along the way. The first time I saw this, and still now sometimes, I couldn't help but think that this would be completely illegal in Australia, the UK and the US. Teenagers with firecrackers on sharp sticks, explosions going off in 3m wide streets, and kids dancing amoungs all this chaos - yet there are very few (I've never seen or heard of one), if any, injuries. Relax and go with it! In Cardedeu, after this 'Correfocs,' or 'Running of the fire,' they have a 'Correaigua' where the local fire brigade stand on scaffolding and spray everyone down with big hoses. Good fun for the kids and sometimes even the adults get wet! After all this is when the 'party' starts, drinks get served, more music comes on and later bands - Cardedeu actually gets very busy, locals who now live in Barcelona come here just for this day. It's a great time and made me miss this place - it will always have a special place in my heart. Visca Cardedeu! The next day is, of course, another story - one spent with friends or family, eating and relaxing, everything done very slowly, until you have a siesta and get ready to go out again of course!

The Verro's last moments before the hunters kill him.

Festa Major in Gracia, Barcelona.

The Correfocs in Gracia, Barcelona.

Barcelona is also a great place to come and witness the festival, although there are more people and a lot of them are tourists too. The Festa de Gracia is the big event here, with their own Correfocs and fireworks, but they also have other things too. Els Carrers, or 'The Streets,' is something that has been a tradition in the suburb of Gracia in Barcelona for many, many  years. A street chooses a theme and all the neighbours get out and decorate it as much as possible. The best wins a prize, but before the winner is announced, you can walk through these streets and experience them for yourself. This year there were quite a few good ones, including a Jules Verne theme, with the squid from "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" making a big appearance, as well as a few balloons and telescopes. There was also a pirate theme, a big favourite with everyone. Sadly, I've been told that this tradition is dying out a little - it's a lot of work over months, and not nearly as exciting as the other things going on at the time - there is no shortage of volunteers for the Diables or Castells (Human Towers). The fireworks here in Barcelona were slightly bigger than in Cardedeu, with more people involved to, and were also very excited - I don't think I could get bored of it. I watched the parade in the main street of Gracia, snapping some nice pics before ducking back into the crowds, dodging the sparks from the huge animals with firecrackers pegged to their tusks, horns and claws. Although it's not really dangerous, you wear sunglasses and you're fine, but when a spark lands on your shirt and burns through, it really stings! After this, it was time to wander around and enjoy the rest of the festival, sucking back street beers while doing so. I love this city!

Don't get too close!!

The Pastorets doing their stick banging dance.

Bastoners.

Sitges, a lovely little town on the Costa Brava, also has a great Festa Major. The town is known for it's independent Film Festival as well as it's gay community. It's a great place to hang out at the beach, eat and drink, and just enjoy the Mediterranean lifestyle. Filled with tourists at any time, it was more so now, but it was worth it. The Festa Major here showcases things you don't see anywhere else, such as traditional dancing and costumes from the Tarragona Region of Catalunya. One of these events is the "Pastorets," or little shepherds, and I enjoyed it very much - basically there are a group of about 12 people, usually half boys and half girls, they stand facing each other and do a dance, all the while banging a large 'shepherd's staff.' It's incredible to watch and wonder they don't hit each other or even themselves with these things! They also recite some poetry, usually a satire on politics, and do a little whip cracking as well. Bastonets are also very popular and traditional here - these people bang thick wooden sticks together, each person having two each, dancing at the same time, working with the music and singing to perform an intricate dance, all while grinning from ear to ear. Something else that I'd never seen before was the "Ball de Cercolets." This is from Valencia as well as the South of Catalonia (Penedes and Tarragona), and the dancers are all dressed in white with bells and ribbons, and they dance with ribbons tied to a large pole. As they dance and sing, they spin around in circles, slowly but surely tying the ribbon around the pole. The dance was traditionally done around harvest time, in September or October, and even dates back to Greek and Roman Pagan traditions dedicated to the Goddess of Flora. To top the day off, there was a fireworks show that could have given Sydney a (small) run for it's money!

A proud man in the Ball de Cercolets.

Pure teamwork!

The Pinya and tower going up.

Another of my favourite things here in Cataluya is the Castells, or Human Towers. In Spain they run from bulls down narrow medieval streets or drug them and then stick pins and swords into them until they collapse - here it is more about teamwork and what you can achieve when you work together. It's also not torturing and killing animals. First documented in the 18th Century, the first Castell being in Tarragona (a wonderful city full of Roman ruins), spreading to nearby area like Vilafranca del Penedes (also famous for it's cava), and in the last 50 years has become very popular in the rest of Catlaunya. The basics of it are - build the tallest and most difficult tower. There are points and different 'stratgies' for the towers, and they work out their 'game play' before each build. I don't understand all the complications, but the preparations are wonderful to watch - teams of people helping each other winding the black faixa sash tightly around their waists, tying up hair and other small details. I also love watching the tower go up - a solid base (called a 'pinya' or 'pineapple') of big strong guys right in the centre, loads of others pushing in for support, and the smaller and lighter 'players' climb up the others, the smallest is a child of around 5 years old who goes right to the top and raises her hand to signal it's done - then they slide right back down and it's done! They climb up with music, people playing drums and grallas, which helps them time the climb. They way back down is probably the most dangerous - I have seen a few falls, but nothing serious. The kid at the top wear helmets and if the tower collapses, it usually falls straight down, collapsing onto the people below by levels, soaking up the shock of a 20m fall. Every year this is a big competition in Tarragona that one day I hope to see live! On November 16, 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Get in close and don't let the team down.