Local Traditions

Nobody knows when the sardana originated, but it has been popular since the 16th century. 

The dance involves creating a circle with at least 3 people - making it a "community" of dancers coming together.

Music for the Sardana is played by the "cobla" - a wind band consisting of 12 instruments. 

Since the Sardana was forbidden during Franco’s dictatorship, it is now symbolic of the survival of Catalan culture against oppression, particularly among older generations. 

You can watch the Sardana most Sunday mornings in front of the Cathedral.

This tradition originated in the southern part of Catalonia at the end of the 18th century.

Each neighborhood in Barcelona has their own team of castellers made up of men and women of all ages.

The towers are assembled at festivals and city events. Once a year in Tarragona, all the groups compete to see who can build the most difficult castell. 

A castell is considered a success when it is properly assembled and dismantled. That is, when everyone has climbed into place, the enxaneta (normally a young child) climbs up to the top, raises one hand, and climbs down the other side of the castell. 

Besides the people who actually climb, many are also needed to form the "pinya" (the base of the castell). They help sustain the weight and act as a sort of safety net.

The tradition showcases the theatrical "Ball de Diables" or "Devil Dance", in which performers dressed as devils recreate the duel between Good and Evil.

The "Ball de Diables" originated in medieval times, but gradually became a crucial component of correfocs. 

Correfocs involve drums, firework torches, and performers dressed up as devils. There are also different types of creatures (mostly dragons) called Bèsties which spit fire.

The event is a deeply rooted Catalan tradition that makes appearances throughout the year for various celebrations. Attendees interact with performers by running underneath the sparks of fireworks.

Attendees and performers always wear fitted clothing that covers all skin (if you attend one, be sure to dress appropriately).

The giants are usually hollow figures that are several meters tall, with a head and arms made of painted paper maché. The rest of the body is typically covered in cloth.

Within the frame is an individual controlling the giant called the Geganter. They carry a harness on their shoulders that is linked to the internal structure, which moves and shakes the giant as if it were dancing.

Typically, in festivals there are always at least two giants, the male gegant and the female giantess, called geganta or gigantona, though some towns involve even more gigants. The giants of Barcelona are called Jaume I & Violant d'Hongria, and they represent James I the Conqueror and his wife.

Capgrossos are smaller figures, usually human scale, but with a huge head. Seeing through the mouth of the head, the capgròs will sometimes chase after people.

The origins of this dance are difficult to reference but the first recorded mention dates to 1150, in a banquet of Count Berenguer IV.

Instruments include tabor pipe, shawm, or bagpipes, which were popular with European Renaissance and Baroque composers. 

Various traditions are encompassed in the dance, but normally the dancers will each carry one or two sticks (bastons) made of holm oak. They then line up in 2 rows, and engage in elaborate patterns of hitting the sticks together.

The dancers may wear white skirts or trousers, as well as red ribbons and ornaments. 

In 19th century Cuba, it became the first written music to be rhythmically based on an African rhythm pattern and the first Cuban dance to gain international popularity.

Outside Cuba, this type of music became known as the havanera (the dance of Havana) and the name was adopted in Cuba itself after gaining international popularity.

The Havaneres arrived to Catalonia with the Catalans that returned from Cuba when Spain lost their colonial territory there. As people arrived in ships, the song became popular in sailor's towns. 

Some of the most well known songs are La Paloma, La Bella Lola or El Meu Avi.

Be sure to try some cremat (rum flambéed with coffee), the typical drink for haveneres! 

A trabucaire is a person that carries a weapon called a trabuc, which is a fire arm with a short cannon and a wide bell-shaped mouth. 

The term applies to the Catalan bandolers (brigands) that participated in the war against the French at the end of the 18th century and beginnings of the 19th century.

Trabucaires are groups who take part in processions to basically throw shots in the air to alert or announce a festivity.

The gralla is a traditional Catalan double reed instrument that comes from a medieval instrument largely used until the Baroque period. The gralla is also very popular because it is the traditional instrument used during the ascension and descension of the castells (human towers) and other traditional Catalan festivities. Usually it is accompanied by the timbal, a percussion instrument similar to a drum.