Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
first autonomous regional parliament was assembled and adopted new laws towards
normal-
ització lingüístico
(linguistic normalisation).
Today Catalonia's school system is based on bilingual education, with graduates showing
equal skill in using either Catalan or Spanish. Around town, Catalan is the
lingua franca:
advertising and road signs tend to be in Catalan, while newspapers, magazines and other
publications can be found in both languages (though you'll find about twice as many options
in Catalan than in Spanish). You'll also find a mix of Catalan and Spanish programming on
radio and TV stations.
Essential Reading
•
Barcelona: The Great Enchantress,
by Robert Hughes
•
Barcelonas,
by Manuel Vazquez Montalban
•
Barça: A People's Passion,
by Jimmy Burns
Folk Dancing
On weekends year-round devotees of the folk-dance
sardana
gather in front of La Catedral,
while a 10-piece band puts everyone in motion. Catalans of all ages come out for the dance,
which takes place in a circle, with dancers holding hands. Together they move right, back
and then left, hopping, raising their arms and generally building momentum as the tempo
picks up. All are welcome to join in, though you'll have to watch a few rounds to get the
hang of it.
Festivals
Catalonia's best celebrations tend to revolve around religious holidays. Fests dedicated to
Nostra Senyora de la Mercè (Our Lady of Mercy) and Santa Eulàlia - Barcelona's two pat-
ron saints - are the city's biggest bashes. You'll see plenty of
sardana
and
castell
-building
there. You'll also see
gegants
(huge papier maché giants: lords, princesses, sultans, fisher-
man and historic and contemporary figures) and
capgrossos
(oversized heads worn by cos-
tumed actors).
Another feature of these Catalan fests is the
correfoc
(fire run): horned devils brandishing
fireworks-spouting pitchforks wreak mayhem in the streets. They are sometimes accompan-
ied by fireworks-spouting dragons, or even wooden carts that are set alight. Full covering
(hats, gloves, goggles) are highly recommended for anyone who wants to get near.
