You can find the following articles in this section : A load of bull.... or a little ass? You may already know that the donkey is the symbol of Catalonia, French and Spanish, whilst the bull is the unofficial national symbol of Spain. The whole thing actually goes back to the Osborne sherry company who put up large black silhouetted images of a bull in semi-profile to advertise (...) read more... Bal-musette ’Bal-musette’ You may well see ’Bal-musette’ advertised around the region - particularly in the summer. It is in fact a style of French popular music which arose in 1880s Paris especially the 5th, 11th and 12th districts. It was in these districts that Auvergnats (...) read more... Castells and castellers Castells and castellers The word castell means castle in Catatlan. Castellers belong to a colla castellera (team) whose aim is to make the most impressive castell (human tour) at festivals in Catalonia. Dressed in traditional costume (usually white trousers, black sash, shawl and (...) read more... Correfocs Correfocs A ‘correfoc’ is a Catalan tradition which ensures that any festival goes with a bang! Its meaning of "fire run" really says it all! It consists of a parade through the streets, accompanied by loud music, bangers… a fiesta of sparklers, firecrackers, and roman (...) read more... Havaneres Havaneres Havaneres - named after the capital town of Cuba, La Habana (Havana), these sea shanties were brought back from Cuba by sailors in the 19th Century, and tell of lost loves and faraway ancestors. These lovely ’sing-songs’ are usually accompanied by guitar and accordion, (...) read more... Le correllengua Le correllengua is the support and promotion of the catalan language and culture, symbolised by the carrying of a flaming torch, the ’Flama de la Llengua’, (Language Flame) through the catalan territories. (catalonia, Balearics, Vallencia and sardinia) Originally a relay race , (...) read more... Llevant de taula The expression ’Llevant de taula’ literally means ’dessert’ - that which is placed on the table last, then taken away. During a ’festa major’, the Llevant de taula" is the means by which a village raises funds for the fetes and entertainments. Strolling (...) read more... The Catalan ’ada’ Grub-ada The Catalan tradition for an "-ada" (a collective meal for many, based around a single ingredient,) often creates some highly unusual, charming and community spirited festivals where the whole community meet up in the place. Some examples are bullinada, (fish stew) cargolada, (grilled (...) read more... The Sardane The Sardane The Sardane, or sardana, is a traditional Catalonian circle dance, believed to be of Greek origin, designed to bring whole villages out onto the village green and get them in party mood - a little like a more complicated version of the ’hokey cokey’ in fact! Music for (...) read more...

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