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Traditions Of Catalonia
Traditions of Catalonia are sets of traditions, values, customs, and festivities that belongs within the culture of Catalan people. While most are of ancient origin, certain traditions are of relatively recent introduction. There are also some that are common to the whole Catalan society, but others are relevant only to a particular location. Generally, locals welcome outsiders to share with them in their celebration. Festivals and celebrations The '' correfocs'', in which "devils" play with fire close the onlookers, is one of the most striking of the Catalan festive events. The devils are not considered the incarnation of evil; they are sprightly and festive characters, dancing to the sound of drums and the traditional gralla, while they set off their fireworks. Another tradition occurs during the spring festival day of ''Sant Jordi'' (St George's Day, 23 April), in which men give roses (mostly in a deep red color) to women, and women give a book to men as a present. That day ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Josep Pla
Josep Pla i Casadevall (; 8 March 1897 – 23 April 1981) was a Spanish journalist and a popular author. As a journalist he worked in France, Italy, Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union, from where he wrote political and cultural chronicles in Catalan and Spanish. He is somewhat controversial for present day Catalans. On the one hand, his prose is widely acknowledged as the finest standard of contemporary literature in Catalan, but on the other hand, his ties to Francoist Spain are often frowned upon, though nowadays this is usually disregarded. Biography The son of rural business owners of modest means from Baix Empordà, he obtained his high school diploma in Girona, where, beginning in 1909, he was a boarding student at the ''Colegio de los Maristas'' (Marist School). In his last academic year (1912–13), he had to take his final exams without having taken the courses because he was expelled from the boarding school. In 1913 he registered to study science at the Unive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Defecation
Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion and is the necessary biological process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid metabolic waste, waste material known as feces (or faeces) from the digestive tract via the anus or cloaca. The act has a variety of names, ranging from the technical (e.g. bowel movement), to the common (like pooping or crapping), to the obscene (''Shit, shitting''), to the euphemistic ("doing number two", "dropping a deuce" or "taking a dump"), to the juvenile ("going poo-poo" or "making doo-doo"). The topic, usually avoided in polite company, forms the basis of scatological humor. human feces, Humans expel feces with a frequency varying from a few times daily to a few times weekly. Waves of muscle, muscular contraction (known as ''peristalsis'') in the walls of the colon (anatomy), colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum. Flatus may also be expulsed. Undigested food may also be expelled within the fec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Figurine
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with clay, metal, wood, glass, and today plastic or resin the most significant. Ceramic figurines not made of porcelain are called terracottas in historical contexts. Figures with movable parts, allowing limbs to be posed, are more likely to be called dolls, mannequins, or action figures; or robots or automata, if they can move on their own. Figurines and miniatures are sometimes used in board games, such as chess, and tabletop role playing games. The main difference between a figurine and a statue is size. There is no agreed limit, but typically objects are called "figurines" up to a height of perhaps , though most types are less than high. Prehistory In China, there are extant Neolithic figurines. European prehistoric figurines of wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caganer
A Caganer () is a figurine depicted in the act of defecation appearing in nativity scenes in Catalonia and neighbouring Traditions of Catalonia, areas such as Andorra, Valencian Community, Valencia, Balearic Islands, and Northern Catalonia (in southern France). It is most popular and widespread in these areas, but can also be found in other areas of Spain (Region of Murcia, Murcia), Portugal, and Southern Italy (Naples). The name "" literally means "the pooper". Traditionally, the figurine is depicted as a peasant, wearing the traditional Catalan red cap (the barretina) and with his trousers down, showing a bare backside, and defecating. Origins The exact origin of the Caganer is unknown, but the tradition has existed since at least the 18th century. According to the society Amics del Caganer (Friends of the Caganer), it is believed to have entered the nativity scene by the late 17th or early 18th century, during the Baroque period. Tradition In Catalan Countries, as well as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nativity Scene
In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmastide, Christmas season, of art objects representing the nativity of Jesus, birth of Jesus.Berliner, R. ''The Origins of the Creche''. Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 30 (1946), p. 251. While the term "nativity scene" may be used of any representation of the very common subject of the Nativity of Jesus in art, it has a more specialized sense referring to seasonal displays, in particular sets of individual sculptural figures and props that are arranged for display. Other characters from the nativity story, such as shepherds, sheep, and angels may be displayed near the manger in a barn (building), barn (or cave) intended to accommodate farm animals, as described in the Gospel of Luke. A donkey and an ox are typically depicted in the scene, and the Biblical Magi#, Magi and their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tió De Nadal
The ''Tió de Nadal'' (; 'Christmas Log'), also known simply as ''tió'' ('log'), ''soca'' or ''tronc(a)'' ('trunk'), is a character in Catalan mythology relating to a Christmas tradition practiced in Catalonia, Valencia (occasionally), Majorca (known as ''Nadaler''), Aragon, Occitania and Andorra. In Aragon it is also called, in Aragonese, ''Tizón de Nadal'', ''Toza de Nadal'' or ''Tronca de Nadal''. The ''Tió de Nadal'' is related to the tradition of the Germanic Christmas tree, also a bearer of gifts for the little ones, and with the British Yule log (''tizón do Nadal'' in Galicia and ''Cachafuòc'', ''Cachofio'' or ''Soc de Nadal'' in Occitania). Overview The form of the ''Tió de Nadal'' found in many Catalan homes during the holiday season is a hollow log about long. Recently, the ''Tió'' has come to stand up on two or four stick legs with a broad smiling face painted on its higher end, enhanced by a red sock hat (a miniature of the traditional barretina) and of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berga
Berga () is the capital of the ''Catalonia/Comarques, comarca'' (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu. History Berga derives its name from the ''Bergistani,'' an Iberians, Iberian tribe which lived in the area before the ancient Rome, Roman conquest. The Bergistani were first subdued by Hannibal in 218 BC. They rebelled twice against the Romans and were twice defeated; after their second uprising, much of the tribe was sold into slavery. Livy mentions their principal town, ', which was probably the precursor of the present-day town of Berga. Berga was ruled by viscounts in the Early Middle Ages and had Counts of Berga, its own counts from 988. Berga was sold to king Peter II of Aragon in 1199. In May 2012, the town council passed a motion declaring King Juan Carlos 'persona non grata' following a series of scandals involving the royal family, most notabl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Patum
The Patum de Berga (), or simply La Patum, is a popular and traditional festival that is celebrated each year in the Catalan city of Berga (Barcelona) during Corpus Christi. It consists of a series of "dances" (in Catalan, ''balls'') by townspeople dressed as mystical and symbolic figures, and accompanied either by the rhythm of a drum—the ''tabal'', whose sound gives the festival its name—or band music. The ''balls'' are marked by their solemnity and their ample use of fire and pyrotechnics. It was declared a ''Traditional Festival of National Interest'' by the Generalitat de Catalunya in 1983. In 2005, UNESCO declared it one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and, in 2008, inscribed it on its Representative List. ''Balls'' * Els ''Plens''. Documented since 1628. * Els ''Turcs i Cavallets'' (Turks and Little Knights). Documented since 1828. * Les ''Maces''. Documented since 1628. * Les ''Guites'' (Folkloric "mules"). Documented since 1626 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vilanova I La Geltrú
Vilanova i la Geltrú () is the capital city of Garraf ''comarca'', in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Historically, it is the result of the aggregation of the medieval center of La Geltrú with the center built outside the medieval walls, Vilanova (which means "new village"). Initially, the lands of Vilanova belonged to Cubelles, the neighboring town. The city of Vilanova i la Geltrú has a growing population of approximately 66,000, and is situated 40 km south-west of Barcelona, with the coastal resort of Sitges some 10 km to the north-east. History The town has a long history, and experienced an efflorescence during the Romantic period evidenced by a wealth of opulent 19th century buildings. The atmospheric town square, the Plaça de la Vila, and many of its iconic public buildings were principally financed by Josep Tomàs Ventosa Soler (1797-1874) a textile magnate who made his fortune in Cuba. A monument featuring a bronze statue of Ventosa stands in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solsona, Lleida
Solsona () is a municipality and capital of the ''comarca'' of the Solsonès in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. It has a population of . It is situated in the centre of the ''comarca'' in the Catalan Central Depression. It is served by the C-55 road to Manresa, and is linked to Berga and Bassella by the C-26. Until a few years ago, Solsona used to be the main road used by people from Barcelona to go to Andorra. The name most probably derives from the Setelsis () mentioned by Ptolemy as a town of the tribe of Iacetani in Hispania Tarraconensis. The old town is known as the ''Nucli antic'': it preserves a large part of its fortifications. The cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ... of Santa Maria de Solsona and the episcopal palace are in a neoc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitges
; , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, renowned worldwide for Sitges Film Festival, its film festival, Carnival, and LGBTQ culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nightspots, and historical sites. While the roots of Sitges' artistic reputation date back to the late 19th century, when painter Santiago Rusiñol took up residence there during the summer, the town became a centre for the 1960s counterculture in mainland Spain during the Francoist State, Francoist regime, and became known as "Ibiza in miniature". Today, the economy of Sitges is based on tourism and culture, offering more than 4,500 hotel beds, half of them in four-star hotels. Sitges is a gay-friendly destination with many establishments catering for the LGBT community and popular gay beaches. Almost 35% of the approximately 26,000 permanent inhabitants are from the Netherlands, the UK, France, and Scandinavia, whos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
