'LA FLAMA DEL CANIGÓ', FIRE THAT JOINS CATALAN LANDS

June 23. The Grandma is going to participate in one of her favourite traditions, La Flama del Canigó.

Every year, she participates in this traditional event, carrying the flame some kilometres. It is her way to collaborate in this tradition that evokes the common roots of the Catalan Countries.

Due to the current situation, The Grandma has taken all the possible precautions, but she has reached her goal. Today, she wants to talk about this tradition linked to the summer solstice and Sant Joan, the patron of the Catalan Countries.

La Flama del Canigó is a Catalan tradition linked to the summer solstice that takes place in various places in the Catalan Countries every year, between 22 and 23 June.

It begins with the renovation of the fire at the top of the Canigó and culminates with the lighting of the bonfires on the night of Sant Joan after the flame, carried by volunteers, spread throughout the country.

It is related to other summer solstice fire festivals in the Pyrenees, such as the Isil, Alins, Durro, Vilaller, Barruera, Pont de Suert and Andorra faults or the Haro burn of the Val d'Aran, where the fire coming down from the mountain is also the protagonist of the night. But beyond this festival, the Canigó Flame has a symbolism linked to the persistence and vitality of Catalan culture.

In 1955, Francesc Pujada, a villager from Arles de Tec (Vallespir, Northern Catalonia), driven by his enthusiasm for the Canigó massif and inspired by the epic poem by Jacint Verdaguer (Canigó, 1886) took the initiative, together with Esteve Albert and Josep Deloncle, to light the fires of the Night of Sant Joan at the top of this mountain and, from there, to spread the flame throughout all the regions of the Catalan Countries.

Thus began the tradition of the Canigó Flame, which connected with the millennial celebration of the summer solstice linked to fire and its collective significance.

The new tradition gained strength in a short time, so that, according to Òmnium Cultural, today it is practically impossible to find a single bonfire in Northern Catalonia that is not lit with the Canigó Flame.

In 1966 the fire crossed the border between the French and Spanish states for the first time and reached Vic. Despite the Franco dictatorship, the tradition spread throughout the Principality of Catalonia, often underground, as a symbol of the survival of Catalan culture.

Gradually the network spread, and the fire that descends from the Canigó also reached the Valencian Country and Balearic Islands.

 

More information: Omnium 

There are currently dozens of organizations that celebrate the festival by spreading the flame that is lit on the beautiful top of the Canigó and is preserved in the Castellet de Perpinyà. Barcelona receives the flame in Plaça de Sant Jaume with the cobla, the eagle and the giants of the city, and from there it goes to the neighbourhoods.

In Terres de l'Ebre and the Priorat, every year a different village welcomes it, and people from the neighbouring counties gather there, who go in a caravan of cars, with the heir and heiress of the major festival of each locality. Alacant has kept alive the tradition of the fires of Sant Joan in the Valencian Country. Other cities also have their tradition, such as Tarragona in the Serrallo.

Every June 22, a group of hikers from the Cercle de Joves de Perpinyà catch the fire that has been lit in the kitchen of the Casa Pairal Museum, in Castellet de Perpinyà, since 1965, and climb to the top of the Canigó, 2,784 metres, where they light a new bonfire, after reading a manifesto.

At dawn on June 23, they begin the descent with the renewed Flame. Together with the group of hikers of the Cercle Jove many other people gather at the top to catch the flame and thus begin the journey to different parts of the Catalan Countries doing relays on foot, by bike, by car and even in lute in the Ebre to make it possible for the Flame to spread through towns and cities and arrive in time to light the bonfires on the night of Sant Joan.

Every year, the Canigó Flame is received by the Parliament of Catalonia in an institutional event, as well as by town councils, county councils and cultural, social and sports organizations in more than 350 municipalities in the Catalan Countries.

In this way, and thanks to hundreds of volunteers, the fire coming from the mountain illuminates the popular festivals that take place around the fire. It is estimated that about 3,000 bonfires were lit that night with the fire coming from the top of the Canigó.

To make this ritual possible, on the weekend before Sant Joan, hundreds of people from all over the Catalan Countries and, especially, from Northern Catalonia, are in the Cortalets refuge, in the Cadí valley, at the foot of the Canigó. They arrive on Saturday night and stay at the shelter or camp with tents nearby.

The next morning they perform the first ritual of the Focs de Sant Joan: go up to the top of the Canigó and leave the small bundles of firewood that each one has brought from their city, town, village or orchard. The branches and twigs are tied with a ribbon that bears the name of the place where they come from, and some have drawings and writings with wishes to burn at the bonfire of Sant Joan. All these bundles of firewood are left stacked around the iron cross at the top of the mountain until the night the bonfire is lit.

More information: Ajuntament de Barcelona

Ja les podeu fer ben altes
les fogueres aquest any
cal que brillin lluny i es vegin
els focs d'aquest Sant Joan.
Cal que es vegin de València,
de Ponent i de Llevant...

I en fareu també en la Serra
perquè els vegin més enllà...
i el crit d'una sola llengua
s'alci dels llocs més distants
omplint els aires encesos
d'un clamor de Llibertat!

Joan Maragall

IF YOU'RE LOST YOU CAN LOOK AND YOU WILL FIND ME...

Today is the birthday of Cyndi Lauper, one of the most important artists on the contemporary music scene.

Next Saturday, The Grandma will join Joseph de Ca'th Lon and Clara Fontaine who are spending a few days in Portuguese lands, and will enjoy Cyndi's performance in Lisbon, a city that for them will always be linked to another great artist, Mísia.

To pay tribute to Cyndi, nothing better than one of her great songs, Time after time, which is not the most festive or the most iconic in terms of popular culture, but it is the one that has best withstood the test of time. It has a very special sensitivity, a beautiful melody and lyrics about loyalty and mutual support that continue to move decades later. In addition, it reflects a facet of Cyndi that goes beyond the extravagant aesthetics of the eighties: her ability as a composer and performer.

Congratulations, Cyndi!

Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after

Sometimes you picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say, "go slow"
And I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time

After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering if I'm okay
Secrets stolen from deep inside (deep inside)
And the drum beats out of time

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time
Time after time

I've got a suitcase of memories that I almost left behind
Time after time
Time, time, time
But you say to go slow but I fall behind
Time after time after time (after time, oh)

More information: Cyndi Lauper

 When I sing I have a lot of visions. 
Like what's happening now in my life.

Cyndi Lauper

PLUTO'S MOONS, NIX (134340 PII) & HYDRA (134340 PIII)

Last night in Mallorca and last chance to see a much clearer sky than in Barcelona. The Grandma has taken her telescope and has been observing a part of this majestic universe just on the same day that twenty years ago Pluto's newly discovered moons were officially named Nix and Hydra. Tomorrow it will be time to say goodbye to friends and family and return to Barcelona where three new formations await her during these months of June and July. In fact, it is not goodbye but a so far, because Mallorca, like Napoli, Montpelhièr, Lyon or Bergen is home for The Grandma.

Nix, formal designation (134340) Pluto II, is a natural satellite of Pluto, with a diameter of 49.8 km across its longest dimension. It was discovered along with Pluto's outermost moon Hydra on 15 May 2005 by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, and was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night.  

Nix is the third moon of Pluto by distance, orbiting between the moons Styx and Kerberos.

Nix was imaged along with Pluto and its other moons by the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew by the Pluto system in July 2015. These images reveal a large reddish area on Nix that is likely an impact crater.

Nix was independently discovered by Max Mutchler and Andrew Steffl, members of the Pluto Companion Search Team, using the Hubble Space Telescope. The New Horizons team had suspected that Pluto and its moon Charon might be accompanied by other moons, hence they used Hubble to search for faint moons around Pluto in 2005. Since Nix's brightness is about 5,000 times fainter than Pluto, long exposure images were taken in order to find it.

The discovery images were taken on 15 May 2005 and 18 May 2005. The discoveries were announced on 31 October 2005, after confirmation by precovering archival Hubble images of Pluto from 2002. The two newly announced moons of Pluto were subsequently provisionally designated S/2005 P 1 for Hydra and S/2005 P 2 for Nix. The moons were informally referred to as "P1" and "P2", respectively by the discovery team.

The name Nix was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and was announced on 21 June 2006 along with the naming of Hydra in the IAU Circular 8723. 

Nix was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of darkness and night and mother of Charon, the ferryman of Hades in Greek mythology. The original proposal for the naming of Nix was to use the classical spelling Nyx, but to avoid confusion with the asteroid 3908 Nyx, the spelling was changed to Nix, the Coptic spelling of the name. The adjectival form of the name is Nictian (cf. Russian Никта Nikta).

More information: NASA

Hydra, formal designation (134340) Pluto III, is a natural satellite of Pluto, with a diameter of approximately 51 km across its longest dimension. It is the second-largest moon of Pluto, being slightly larger than Nix. Hydra was discovered along with Nix by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope on 15 May 2005, and was named after the Hydra, the nine-headed underworld serpent in Greek mythology. By distance, Hydra is the fifth and outermost moon of Pluto, orbiting beyond Pluto's fourth moon Kerberos.

Hydra has a highly reflective surface caused by the presence of water ice, similar to other Plutonian moons. Hydra's reflectivity is intermediate, in between those of Pluto and Charon. The New Horizons spacecraft imaged Pluto and its moons in July 2015 and returned multiple images of Hydra.

Members of the New Horizons team suspected that Pluto and Charon might be accompanied by other small, distant moons, weakly bound to the Pluto system. They used the Hubble Space Telescope to test this hypothesis. This led to the discovery of Nix and Hydra -both surprisingly close to Pluto/Charon- and that no significant moons existed in Pluto's extended sphere of influence.

The discovery images were taken on 15 May 2005 and 18 May 2005. Hydra and Nix were independently discovered by Max J. Mutchler on 15 June 2005 and by Andrew J. Steffl on 15 August 2005. The discoveries were announced on 31 October 2005, after confirmation by precovering archival Hubble images of Pluto from 2002. The two newly discovered moons were subsequently provisionally designated S/2005 P 1 for Hydra and S/2005 P 2 for Nix. The moons were informally referred to as "P1" and "P2" respectively, by the discovery team.

The name Hydra was approved on 21 June 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and was announced along with the naming of Nix in the IAU Circular 8723. 

Hydra was named after the Lernaean Hydra, a multi-headed serpent that battled Heracles/Hercules in Greek and Roman mythology. Particularly, the nine heads of Hydra subtly references Pluto's former ninth planetary status. The two newly named moons were intentionally named that the order of their initials N and H honors the New Horizons mission to Pluto, similarly to how the first two letters of Pluto's name honors Percival Lowell.

The names of features on the bodies in the Pluto system are related to mythology and the literature and history of exploration. In particular, the names of features on Hydra must be related to legendary serpents and dragons from literature, mythology, and history.

More information: NASA

 I tend to think of Pluto and its moons 
as presents sitting under a Christmas tree. 
They're wrapped, and from Earth 
all we can do is look at the boxes
 to see whether they're light or heavy, 
to see if something maybe jiggles a bit inside. 
We're seeing intriguing things, 
but we really don't know what's in there.

Alan Stern

RAMON LLULL, COSMOS & MYSTICISM AT PUIG DE RANDA

One of the most mystical experiences you can have in Mallorca is to climb Puig de Randa at night and contemplate the stars with the same gaze as Ramon Llull did it more than seven centuries ago.

Knowing Llull's works, reading them, analyzing them, delving into his thoughts is to delve into the most elementary of the human condition: asking ourselves where we come from, what we are doing here and what will become of us.

In her last days in Mallorca, The Grandma, who always used to have Joseph de Ca'th Lon as her astronomical advisor, wanted to enjoy this mystical experience of contemplating the sky, which she often did years ago from the Costitx observatory, now dismantled.

On the summit of Puig de Randa, Ramon Llull did not merely contemplate the landscape of Mallorca; he contemplated the hidden order of the universe. Nature became a mirror of the divine attributes, and the cosmos a language leading toward God.

Around 1274, after a profound spiritual conversion, Ramon Llull withdrew to Puig de Randa, in Mallorca, seeking silence, prayer, and contemplation. According to the Lullian tradition, it was there that he received the inspiration that would give rise to his Ars Magna, the intellectual system that would shape the rest of his life.

For Llull, the universe was not simply a collection of physical objects, but a harmonious and interconnected reality reflecting the qualities of its Creator. The cosmos revealed the divine attributes -goodness, greatness, wisdom, power, truth, and glory- which were present throughout creation in different degrees.

From the heights of Randa, Llull perceived nature as a living book written by God. Every creature, every element, and every relationship within the world pointed beyond itself toward a deeper spiritual reality. Humanity occupied a unique place within this cosmic order, standing between the material and the spiritual realms.

Symbolically, the mountain itself became a bridge between earth and heaven. Through contemplation of the visible world, one could ascend toward understanding the invisible. In this sense, Puig de Randa was not merely a geographical location, but a place of revelation where the unity of God, humanity, and the cosmos became profoundly apparent.

More than seven centuries later, Llull's vision continues to inspire. His contemplative experience reminds us that the universe is not only something to be observed, but also something to be understood as a web of meaning, connection, and wonder.

At Puig de Randa, Ramon Llull discovered that the cosmos was more than a physical reality -it was a sacred language through which creation spoke of its Creator.

One of the challenges when studying Ramon Llull is that he never wrote a single treatise devoted exclusively to cosmology. Instead, his vision of the cosmos is woven throughout many of his works. For Llull, the universe, humanity, and God form an intelligible unity that must be understood as a whole.

Llibre de contemplació en Déu (1273–1274) is perhaps the work that best reflects the contemplative spirit of Llull's period at Puig de Randa. Here, Llull contemplates the world as a manifestation of God. The stars, the elements, plants, animals, and human beings become objects of contemplation because they reveal the divine order. His central idea is that creatures are signs that lead to the knowledge of the Creator. The cosmos appears as an immense symbolic book that can be read spiritually.

Ars Magna is developed from the inspiration Llull received at Randa, this work presents a more abstract cosmology. Rather than simply asking What is the cosmos?, Llull proposes that all realities within the universe are connected through universal principles derived from the divine attributes. It is an extraordinarily relational vision of reality, centuries ahead of its time. It is a matter to explain how all things are related to one another

Llibre de meravelles (1287-1289) includes the famous Llibre de les Bèsties, but the entire text is structured as a journey of discovery. Its protagonist, Fèlix, travels through the world in wonder at creation. The contemplatio n of nature becomes both a philosophical and a spiritual path. The cosmos is presented as an ordered reality whose beauty and harmony inspire awe and lead to wisdom.

Arbre de ciència (1295-1296) organizes all knowledge through a series of interconnected trees:

-The Elemental Tree

-The Vegetal Tree

-The Sensual Tree

-The Human Tree

-The Celestial Tree

-The Angelic Tree

-The Divine Tree

This structure reveals a hierarchical yet interconnected universe in which every level of reality is linked to every other. The work represents Llull's grand intellectual map of the cosmos. For Ramon Llull, the universe is a living network of relationships that reflects the divine perfections and enables human beings to ascend from the visible world toward the knowledge of God.

This insight emerges directly from his contemplative experience at Puig de Randa. For Ramon Llull, contemplation of nature was not an escape from the world, but a way of discovering its deepest order and meaning because for him, contemplating the world was learning to read the language with which God had written the universe.

More information: Quis est Lullus?

If understanding followed no rule at all, 
there would be no good in the understanding 
nor in the matter understood, 
and to remain in ignorance would be the greatest good.

Ramon Llull 

HIPERCOR. RECOGNITION, MEMORY, DIGNITY & PEACE

Lluna de pau, germana dels estels,
viatgera tranquil·la dels espais infinits,
tu que has obert la porta dels abismes,
mirall nocturn de la llum fosca del sol.

Lluna de pau, de la casa de cendres
enmig del cel, enmig de l'univers,
que saps parlar el llenguatge dels astres,
que fas el cant del silenci absolut.

Lluna de pau, coloma d'ales negres,
si et crido lluny, acudeixes a mi
enmig de l'ombra, amb les crineres blanques
a cavall sempre de la llum i del vent.

Lluna de pau, vestida d'oliveres,
en quart creixent, enmig dels tarongers,
la que es condorm a l'entrecuix de les dunes
i reneix a la platja, entre pins i xiprers.

Lluna de pau, aparta'ns de la ira,
de la desesperança, que no les trobem mai,
del desamor, de l'última venjança.
Lluna de pau, fes peu a casa nostra,
no ens abandonis mai.

Moon of peace, sister of the stars,
gentle wanderer of endless skies,
you who have opened the gates of the deep,
night's mirror, reflecting the sun's hidden light.

Moon of peace, from the house of ashes,
suspended in the heavens, adrift through the universe,
you who speak the ancient language of the stars,
you who give voice to the song of perfect silence.

Moon of peace, dark-winged dove,
whenever I call from far away, you come,
through the shadows, with flowing white manes,
riding forever on the wind and the light.

Moon of peace, crowned with olive branches,
a crescent rising among the orange trees,
you who sleep in the cradle of the dunes
and awaken again by the shore, among pines and cypresses.

Moon of peace, shield us from anger,
from despair, may it never find us;
from hatred and from the final act of revenge.

Moon of peace, dwell among us,

and never abandon us.

 

Lluna de pau, aparta'ns de la ira,
de la desesperança, que no les trobem mai,
del desamor, de l'última venjança.
Lluna de pau, fes peu a casa nostra,
no ens abandonis mai.

 

Moon of peace, shield us from anger,
from despair, may it never find us;
from hatred and from the final act of revenge.

Moon of peace, dwell among us,

and never abandon us.

 

Maria del Mar Bonet 

EVOKING BLAI BONET, BLAUS I SOL DE ROSES BLANQUES...

On the anniversary of Pere Quart's death, The Grandma, from Santanyí, has been rereading and remembering another great writer, Blai Bonet.

The islanders have a character very marked by the sea. It is normal. Entire generations have lived without ever leaving their island and this marks the local idiosyncrasy. The Mallorcans are no exception and this is because Mallorca is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, but like all islands it is finite.

Mallorcan culture is of enormous majesty, rooted in the land, its people and this blue and infinite horizon that can always be seen from any part of the island.

Mallorcan artists have painted the island, sung about it and written about it and it is through art that they have expressed states of mind, illusions and disappointments, dreams, hopes and fears.

One of the best Mallorcan poets of the 20th century was Blai Bonet, born in Santanyí. He was a novelist and poet who captured the colors of the island like few others and who wrote one of the most beautiful poems ever written about the island, a poem that sheds light, not so much because it speaks of light, but because its language seems to illuminate what it describes. It is a poetry that does not argue or explain: it makes a vision appear. It is the union between matter and transcendence. In many religious poets, spirituality tends to distance itself from the physical world; however, Blai Bonet does just the opposite. Faith passes through colors, through animals, through the earth, through the Mediterranean light.

Blai Bonet (1926-1997) was a Mallorcan poet, novelist and art critic.

Bonet released El Mar (The Sea) in 1958. In 1962, his collections of poems L'Evangeli segons un de tants (The Gospel According to One of Many) was awarded the Carles Riba Poetry Prize, but it was not published due to Spanish Francoist censorship, delaying it for more than five years.

In 1990, he was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi by the Catalan Government.

He was a member of the Association of Catalan Language Writers. He was a participant in the resurgence of Catalan literature in the 1960s.

Blaus i sol de roses blanques.
El pati verd i blanc de primavera,
ple de bels astorats davant la Pasqua.

Blues and sunlight of white roses.
The green-and-white courtyard of spring,
filled with lambs' bewildered bleating before Easter.

More information: GenCat

Blaus i sol de roses blanques.

Blues and sunlight of white roses.

Blai Bonet

I SA XIMBOMBA JA NO SONA, NI SONA, NI SONARÀ...

With the arrival of summer, in a few days, the Mallorcan squares will be filled with ball de bot, glosses, castanets and ximbombes. Enjoying Mallorcan popular culture, so threatened by densification and globalization, is a privilege that we must protect and preserve and that The Grandma loves a lot.

The ximbomba is a musical instrument belonging to the family of friction membranophones, or indirectly rubbed drums, with either a single or multiple rod, fixed or movable.

The instrument consists of three main parts: a vessel that acts as a resonating chamber, a membrane, and a rod, which together produce sound when set into vibration. In the present example, the vessel is made of ceramic, the membrane is of animal hide, and the rod is a reed cane. The membrane is stretched and secured by means of cords and fitted over the mouth of the ceramic vessel. A hole in the membrane allows the cane rod to be inserted. The membrane vibrates when the rod is rubbed rhythmically up and down by hand, preferably with a moistened hand. The sound produced by the ximbomba is of indeterminate pitch, low, and monotonous.

The ximbomba originated in Africa, specifically in the region of present-day Congo. It reached the Iberian Peninsula around the fifteenth century, brought by enslaved people from the Congo area. In the sixteenth century, the Spanish Tercios stationed in Flanders introduced the instrument into the Low Countries. It is believed that the ximbomba was played in rituals associated with the winter solstice. For this reason, throughout the Iberian Peninsula and in other parts of Europe, it became associated with the Christmas season.

In the Balearic Islands, particularly in Mallorca, the instrument has traditionally been used by rural communities to accompany cançons de fadrinalla (popular songs sung by young people), especially during Carnival celebrations.

The instrument is known by different names according to the region: simbomba in Catalonia, ximbomba in Mallorca and Menorca, pandorga in the Valencian Country, etza-gor in the Basque Country, and zambomba in Andalusia.

 

I sa ximbomba ja no sona, ni sona, ni sonarà
i perquè té sa pell de ca

i sa canya qui no és bona.

I jo que volia tocar...

 

I en anar a segar es canyar coiràs una canyeta

i per sa meva ximbombeta 

i pes darrers dies sonar.

 

Sa ximbomba ja és passada, 

i jo que volia ballar
i mumare em fa filar
i cada vespre una fusada.

 

And my ximbomba sings no longer, nor today nor yet again
And or its skin is made of doghide
And its reed is weak and thin.

And I wanted to play...

 

And when you cut the reeds tomorrow, bring a little one to me
And for my tiny ximbomba's music

 And through the last days yet to be.

 

Now the ximbomba is worn and silent,

And though I longed to dance and play

And but my mother has me spinning
And every evening of the day.

More information: Mallorca Incognita

I sa ximbomba ja no sona, ni sona, ni sonarà
i perquè té sa pell de ca
i sa canya qui no és bona.

And my ximbomba sings no longer,
Nor today nor yet again,
And for its skin is made of doghide
And its reed is weak and thin.

Maria del Mar Bonet