catalan symbols

• La Sardana• Els castells• La Patum• Ball de bastons• Gegants i capgrossos• Catalonia’s day

Folkloric and popular Catalan symbols

La sardana is the typical dance of Catalonia. There are two types: the typical is the short sardana and the modern is the long sardana.

The music of sardana is played by a

cobla. The cobla consists of 11 musicians playing 12 instruments:

• Flabiol• Catalan shawn• Tenora• Trumpet• Trombone• Fiscorn• Double bass

A “castell” is a human tower. It started in Valls by the end of 18th century.

Typical castellers wear white trousers, black sash, a bandana and a colored shirt depending on the “colla castellera” (group).

The colla castellera of Lleida wears a maroon t-shirt.

La Patum is a traditional and popular festival. It consists on a series of dances with fire.

In Lleida we have a dragon called “Lo Marraco”

It’s a popular dance. They use sticks . At the beginning only men danced, but in the 60s women danced too.

Gegants are made of papier maché ; bodies are covered with traditional clothes.

We celebrate the defeat of the Catalan troops during the War of the Spanish Succession (1714).

It’s on the 11th of September.

This year on the 11th September a huge demonstration for Catalonia independence took place in Barcelona. It was a historic day. There were more than 1.5 million people