A pubilla (; plural ''pubilles'') in ancestral

Catalan tradition There are quite a number of festivals and traditions in Catalonia (Spain). While most are of ancient origin, certain traditions are of relatively recent introduction. There are also some that are common to the whole Catalan society, but others are ...

was the female that would inherit the whole rural estate in the absence of a brother.

Tradition

She was the female version of the hereu or male heir of the whole property of the family. Traditionally, when a couple had no son, the eldest girl of the family would inherit the home and the estate in ancient

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

. The purpose was not to divide estates that were already too small to exploit in a profitable manner. From mid 20th century onwards the image of the pubilla underwent a change; in present times the pubilla has a role similar to a local

beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

in local popular celebrations. Sometimes the female ''

gegants Processional giants, french: géants processionnels, es, gigantes y cabezudos, va, gegants i cabuts, ca, gegants i capgrossos, eu, erraldoi eta buruhandiak are costumed figures in European folklore, particularly present in Belgian, Frenc ...

'' are dressed as a pubilla, like in

Manresa Manresa () is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographical centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are ...

. Often the naming of a pubilla is a good occasion for a Catalan girl to dress in the traditional costume.Auca de la pubilla

References

Literature

* Kathryn A. Woolard, ''Double talk: bilingualism and the politics of ethnicity in Catalonia'', Stanford University Press (1989),

External links

{{Commons category
L'hereu i la pubilla de la Garrotxa: una qüestió de devoció, no de vocacióElecció de l'hereu i pubilla de la catalunya central 2010
Catalan culture Inheritance law by country

Tradition

See also

References

Literature

External links