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It consists of a series of dances by townspeople dressed as mystical and symbolical 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.
More information: La Patum Official Web Page
It was
declared a Traditional Festival of National Interest by the Generalitat de
Catalunya in 1983, and as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of
Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.
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| Photo: @ClickPatum |
Despite the
religious significance of Corpus Christi, and the Patum's descent from
"eucharistic performances," in its present form it is rather a show
of popular theater. It is unique in Catalonia. Anthropologists and specialists
in folklore have been interested in La Patum.
In 2016, to
celebrate the 150th anniversary of the "old giants" (Gegants vells)
and the 125th anniversary of the "new giants" (Gegants nous), the
Bruce Springsteen song If I should fall behind, arranged by Sergi Cuenca, was
danced by both couples of giants.
Also in this
same year, The Patum has been celebrated in a special date in September to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Virgin of Queralt, patron of the
county.
More information: UNESCO Web Page
If you take myth and folklore,
and these things that speak in symbols,
they can be interpreted in so many ways
that although the actual image is clear enough,
the interpretation is infinitely blurred,
a sort of enormous rainbow of every possible colour
you could imagine.
and these things that speak in symbols,
they can be interpreted in so many ways
that although the actual image is clear enough,
the interpretation is infinitely blurred,
a sort of enormous rainbow of every possible colour
you could imagine.
Diana Wynne Jones
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