The dancing egg (''L'ou com balla'' in Catalan) is an old tradition that takes place in several towns in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Spain, during the feast of Corpus Christi, when an

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

is suspended in the vertical jet of a water fountain. The tradition probably started at the

Cathedral of Barcelona The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (), also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. The cathedral was constructed from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, with the principa ...

.VilaWeb TV: L'Ou com Balla a Ca l'Ardiaca

History

There is evidence from the 16th century that

acolyte An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used f ...

s would place a dancing egg on the fountain of the Barcelona Cathedral's cloister. To accomplish this, the egg would have been emptied, with wax used to fill the hole and add some weight. When placed over a water jet from a fountain, the egg starts turning without falling, and thus "dances." Generally, fountains with a dancing egg are also decorated with seasonal flowers and fresh fruits, like cherries, which cover the bowl of the fountain, as well as weaver's broom and

carnations ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' ( ), commonly known as carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus'' native to the Mediterranean region. Its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive cultivation over the last 2,000 years. Carnations ...

From the Cathedral, the tradition also started at the patio of the neighboring Casa de l'Ardiaca (Archdeacon's House), and it spread to several other courtyards of the

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

city center beginning in the 1980s. More recently, other Catalan cities and towns assumed the tradition.

Modern examples

In Barcelona a dancing egg is placed in several locations within the Gothic Quarter during Corpus Christi: Barcelona Cathedral the Casa de l'Ardiaca, in addition to the courtyards of the Ateneu Barcelonès, the

General Archive of the Crown of Aragon The General Archive of the Crown of Aragon (Catalan: ''Arxiu General de la Corona d'Aragó''), originally Royal Archives of Barcelona (Catalan: ''Arxiu Reial de Barcelona''), is an archive containing the background documents of the institutions ...

(at the Palau del Lloctinent), the Royal Academy of Arts of Barcelona,

Frederic Marès Museum Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...

, the cloister of the Monastery of Jonqueres (adjacent to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception), Centelles Palace, and the History Museum of Barcelona. *In

Igualada Igualada () is a municipality and capital of Anoia county in Penedès, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the left bank of the Anoia River and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona Railway. Igualada is the capital and central ...

the dancing egg is placed on Pius XII Square. *In

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 know ...

it is found at the

Maricel Museum The Maricel Museum is a museum located in the centre of Sitges; reopened after a major refurbishment in 2015. The Maricel Museum is part of the Barcelona Provincial Council Local Museum Network. Content In 1969, the Barcelona Provincial Corporatio ...

. *In

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

in 1933, the canon Dr. Josep Vallès Barceló began decorating the garden and placed a dancing egg on the fountain of the cloister of the

Tarragona Cathedral The Primatial Cathedral of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The edifice is located in a site previously occupied by a Roman temple dating to the time of Tiberius, a Visigothic cathedral, and a Moorish mosque. ...

. Its popularity grew, especially after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, with the assistance of the local officials. At present it is prepared by a team of volunteers, a volunteer florist and the cathedral sacristy. * In

Sant Feliu de Llobregat Sant Feliu de Llobregat () is an industrial city and municipality in Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona (province), Barcelona. It is the capital of the Comarques of Catalonia, comarca of Baix Llobregat, and the see of a Roman Catholic ...

it is celebrated at the Sant Llorenç CathedralAjuntament de Sant Feliu de Llobregat - News
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Gallery

Image:L_ou_com_balla_catedral_01_Baixa.jpg, Cathedral of Barcelona Image:Claustre Monestir de Jonqueres - Corpus - L'ou com balla.JPG, Monastery of Jonqueres ( Basilica of the Immaculate Conception) Image:L_ou_com_balla_casa_l_ardiaca_01.jpg, Casa de l'Ardiaca (Archdeacon's House) Image:OuComBallaMFM.jpg, L'ou com balla in the courtyard of the

Bibliography

* José María de Mena. Plaza&Janes Editores, S.A. Curiosidades y leyendas de Barcelona (in Spanish), 1992, page 91.

References

{{commons category * ''This article is a translation from Catalan entry L'ou com balla.'' Catalan traditions Spring traditions Eggs (food)