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If you are interested in Catalan culture, continue your journey… The opportunity to discover the cultural heritage and history that have shaped Catalan lands.
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A region of contrasts and cultural richness, Catalonia has always been a melting pot of exchange and ethnic diversity. Since ancient times, Greeks, Romans, Iberians, Visigoths, Moors, and Carolingians have successively formed this fertile ground conducive to Catalan culture.
The Sardana
The sardana is the traditional dance of Catalonia. It is danced in a circle, alternating between men and women holding hands. Sardanas are accompanied by a musical ensemble called a cobla.
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![Danse traditionnelle]()
OT Prats-de-Mollo-La-Preste
Cobla
The Cobla is a traditional instrumental ensemble composed of a flabiol (small flute), a tamborí (tambourine), two tibles , two tenores , two or three trumpets, a slide or valve trombone, two fiscorns and a three-string double bass la vera . La Cobla orchestrates the traditional dance of Catalonia: the sardana.
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B. Malassingne ![]()
B. Malassingne ![La cobla]()
B. Malassingne
The Castells
Castells (“castle” in Catalan) or Castellers is a traditional cultural event consisting of building a human pyramid of six to ten levels with a well-defined shape and organization.
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B. Malassingne ![Pyramide humaine]()
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The Giants
The Gegants are giants carried by a procession. The structure, several meters high, made of wood or metal, rests on the shoulders and head of the bearer. They represent important or representative figures of a village. The giants parade through the villages, spinning around. Then they gather in a large square to dance in couples to their own sardana, accompanied by the rhythm of the Cobla band.
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B. Malassingne ![]()
B. Malassingne ![]()
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B. Malassingne ![]()
Major festivals
The Festa Major is the village's patron saint festival. They take place every year in all villages.
La Trobada del Canigó (the meeting of the Canigó)
The weekend before June 23, a delegation from each village climbs to the top of Canigó with a bundle of wood bearing the name of the town. It will be placed at the foot of the cross for the burning of the peak the following week.
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The delegations assemble the bundles of wood © JC Milhet ![]()
The summit of Canigó © JC Milhet
La Flama del CanigÓ (the flame of Canigó)
On June 22, a delegation climbed to the Pic du Canigó for the vigil. The fire was lit at the summit with a flame brought from the Castillet de Perpignan. The small flame instantly transformed into a huge blaze that lit the Roussillon sky. The hikers descended during the day of June 23 to bring the flame to the villages. It would be used to light the Saint John's Day fire. At the Col d'Ares, a flame transfer took place between the Catalan regions.
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Passing of the flame at the Col d'Ares
El Foc de Sant Joan (The Fire of Saint John)
On the evening of June 23, in each village of the Pyrénées-Orientales, the summer solstice is celebrated. At nightfall, we set fire to a bonfire then we dance the sardana and taste grilled meats and pastries with sweet wine. We also exchange bouquets of Saint-Jean lucky charm for the year and we throw that of the previous year in the hearth.
