The Patum de Berga (), or simply La Patum, is a popular and traditional festival that is celebrated each year in the

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

city of

Berga Berga () is the capital of the ''comarca'' (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu. History Berga derives its name from ...

(

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

) during Corpus Christi. It consists of a series of "dances" (in Catalan, ''balls'') by townspeople dressed as mystical and symbolical figures, and accompanied either by the rhythm of a drum—the ''tabal'', whose sound gives the festival its name—or band music. The ''balls'' are marked by their solemnity and their ample use of fire and

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

. It was declared a ''Traditional Festival of National Interest'' by the

Generalitat de Catalunya The Generalitat de Catalunya (; oc, label=Aranese, Generalitat de Catalonha; es, Generalidad de Cataluña), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia politically organizes its self-government. It is formed b ...

in 1983. In 2005, UNESCO declared it one of the

Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and t ...

and, in 2008, inscribed it on its Representative List.

''Balls''

* Els ''Plens''. Documented since 1628. * Els ''Turcs i Cavallets'' (Turks and Little Knights). Documented since 1828. * Les ''Maces''. Documented since 1628. * Les ''Guites'' (Folkloric "mules"). Documented since 1626 (''Guita Grossa''), 1890 (''Guita boja''). * LÀliga'' (The Eagle). Documented since 1756. * Els ''Nans Vells'' (The Old Dwarfs). Documented since 1853. * Els ''Gegants'' (The Giants). Documented since 1695. * Els ''Nans Nous'' (The New Dwarfs). Documented since 1890.

Origins and significance

"La Patum" has its origins in pre-Christian celebrations of the

Summer solstice The summer solstice, also called the estival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer ...

, which were recycled and given new symbolism by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as part of its Corpus celebrations. In Berga, the earliest conserved reference to a Corpus procession is May 20, 1454. The festival evolved and incorporated more elements popular and religious theater in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, leading to a unique combination of giants, devils, angels, moors, and other bizarre-looking characters. Despite the religious significance of Corpus Christi, and the Patum's descent from "

eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

ic performances," in its present form it is rather a show of popular theater. It is unique in Catalonia. Anthropologists and specialists in folklore have been interested in La Patum.

Bruce Springsteen song

In 2016, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the "old giants" (''Gegants vells'') and the 125th anniversary of the "new giants" (''Gegants nous''), the

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

song '' If I should fall behind'', arranged by Sergi Cuenca, was danced by both couples of giants.

Gallery

File:Ball_de_Nans_Vells.jpg, Ball de ''Nans Vells'' File:Nans_Nous.jpg, Ball de ''Nans Nous'' File:Salt_de_Plens.jpg, Salt de ''Plens'' File:Ball_de_Gegants.jpg, ''Ball de Gegants'' File:Patum1.jpg, Patum de lluïment File:Patum5.jpg, ''Guita Grossa''

Bibliography

References

External links

UNESCO page for Patum of Berga

La Patum website

Online videos of "La Patum" and other Catalan festivals
{{authority control Festivals in Catalonia Catalan folklore Theatre festivals in Spain Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity