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 Caganers on display at Fira de
Santa Llucia by Belsaita
However, we Catalans added an extra character that is not found in the Nativity scenes of any other culture. This extra little character is found in some corner, typically nowhere near the main scene. There is a good reason for his obscure position in the display, as "caganer" translates from Catalan to English as "defecator", and that is exactly what this little statue is doing, defecating!!
From Wikipedia:
Possible reasons for placing a man who is in the act of excreting solid waste from his posterior in a scene which is widely considered holy are as follows:
1. Just tradition.
2. Perceived humor.
3. Mythical Defecation by Dwarfs
4. Finding the Caganer is a fun game, especially for children.
5. The Caganer, by creating feces, is fertilizing the Earth. However, this is probably an a posteriori (no pun intended) explanation, and nobody would say they put the Caganer on the Nativity scene for this reason.
6. The Caganer represents the equality of all people: regardless of status, race, gender everyone defecates.
The exact origin of the Caganer is lost. What do I think?? That it is just a prove of the odd sense of humor of we Catalans, and our like for satire behind our (apparent) seriousness.
Today, you can buy “caganers” of all sizes, even featuring famous people. It has become a popular collector’s item, and probably one of the most genuine souvenirs. On the pic you can see figurines of Barça football players, local and foreigner politicians (the President of the Catalan Parliament, the Spanish president Zapatero and George Bush), and in the very middle, Prince Felipe, Princess Letizia and their child Infanta Leonor. All of them shi... togheter, LOL! Leave a Comment
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 Gegants by Belsaita
Barcelona's main Giants are called Jaume and Violant (as they represent King Jaume the 1st and Queen Violant d’Hongria). Their names were changed during the Franco’s dictatorship to Isabel and Fernando (as the catholic kings, the traditional names seemed to be too Catalanist for the Regime)
But there are many others, as the famous Gegant del Pi (from the church of El Pi in the same name’s square). A traditional child’s tune (popular around Catalunya, not only in Barcelona) says:
El Gegant del Pi ara balla, ara balla
El Gegant del Pi ara balla pel camí
El Gegant de la Ciutat ara balla, ara balla
El Gegant de la Ciutat ara balla pel terrat!
(The Giant of the Pi now is dancing, now is dancing
The Giant of the Pi now is dancing on the path
The Giant of the City now is dancing, now is dancing
The Giant of the City now is dancing on the roof! )
Giants come out on local festivities to dance on the streets. You can imagine it's not easy to move this huge structure! Usually they are accompanied by capgrossos (bigheads) and sometimes mythological animals (dragons, horses, eagles...). Do not miss them if you re visiting a Catalan town during a festival time. Leave a Comment
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 Les Quatre Barres on a
balcony. by Jerelis
The design derives from a legend of Guilfré el Pelós, first Count of Barcelona. It relates how he received a call for help from Charles the Bald, who was King of the West Franks and grandson of Charlemagne. Guilfré went to his aid and turned the tide of battle, but was mortally wounded. As he lay dying, Charles dipped his fingers in Guilfré's blood and dragged them accross his plain gold shield, giving him a grant of arms.
We saw the Catalan flag at numerous of places. The Catalonian people are extremely proud of their own (beautiful) province. Leave a Comment
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11th September is Catalonia's National Day.
From the following link from the Wikipedia you can get information about it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Catalonia
Apart from institutional acts and demonstrations there are also concerts.
It will be a good opportunity to know where you are, as many tourists who visit Barcelona are absolutely unaware of the fact that they are in Catalonia and how different it is from the rest of Spain.
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 castelleers by Elisabcn
Els castellers are typical of local festivities. This pic was taken during les Festes de la Mercè in Barcelona
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While wandering around the Gothic district we came upon a colourful children's parade. The narrow streets were filled with music and Giant Characters and the many children who followed behind. The children and characters then assembled in the square where sweets were given out to everyone. The Parade and party was very atmospheric and it was a joy to see the delight on the faces of the children - even though I had no idea what the parade was about. Leave a Comment
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 Folk Dance by mccalpin
Here, you see a photograph of a Catalunyan folk dance held after Mass in Barcelona. This photo was taken in 1976, not long after Franco died, and the latest emergence of Catalunyan culture began. Leave a Comment
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 Sant jordi by Nathy-ParisLeave a Comment
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