As I
mentioned in my previous blog, on our way to see the Human Towers we heard
music and saw lots of people so we went to see what is all the fuss about. It
was a Folklore Festival or the Agrupacio Cultural Folklorica Barcelona, to be
precise. They even had an orchestra to play the music for them.
People were
dancing Sardana. This is a traditional
Catalan dance that is the symbol of Catalan unity and pride. The dance is done
by holding hands, there is no uniform to wear and everybody can do the steps,
regardless of age, gender or class. It brings all the people of Catalonia
together.
There were 3
distinctive groups, one for children (wearing red T-shirts), one for adults and
one for the elderly.
The last
group’s circle soon got too big and other little groups started to form around
it and soon the whole square was dancing, it was mesmerising to see! I took a
short video to give you a feel of the atmosphere.
It is not
advisable for visitors to join in as the steps are complicated and if one
person messes up than it messes up the whole circle’s rhythm!
We saw this
dance last year when we were in Barcelona although then the music came from the
loud speakers and there was only one elderly circle. Still, loads of people
took photos of them dancing. I remember thinking, in this city even the elderly
can be celebrities!
You can see
this dance on most Catalan festivals and usually on sunny Sunday afternoons in
the summer. The hot spots in Barcelona are the Plaza Jaume 1 and in front of
the Catedral de Barcelona not far from there.
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