tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67096282341852821972024-03-13T00:50:14.955+01:00Wirdheim in VilanovaOn ExPat Life in Catalonia
by a Swedish family living in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona // Un bloc sobre la trobada d'una familia sueca amb la cultura i societat catalanaErik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.comBlogger918110tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-85865222081782542442014-11-05T23:53:00.001+01:002015-03-01T23:58:49.352+01:00My New Blog about Life in Zurich, Switzerland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://instagram.com/p/pzRyRuR7XG/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh687hxrl5lzFyNwcAp6KI1Ffo1An_IGL5SGmTzNxUu9t2s1elOcPNDVIKwE9EMc-_JH1nTwpefj66XuSq8O8vSkRy6zo7hBtYolzLGgZfzduQzs5bH708JwNCOVMuzBi-1XWJz3Ube9Jpb/s1600/erik_wirdheim_engelberg_schweiz_switzerland.png" height="200" width="192" /></a></div>
<b>English</b>: Since August 2013, I live with my family in Zurich, Switzerland. If you would be interested in our life there, please visit my new blog <i><b><a href="http://erik-wirdheim.blogspot.ch/">Wirdheim in the Heart of Europe</a></b></i><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>(available in English, German and Swedish).<br />
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<i><b>Español</b>: Desde de agosto de 2013 vivo con mi familia en Zurich, Suiza. Si te interesa saber más sobre nuestra vida allí, te convido a visitar mi nuevo blog </i><b><a href="http://erik-wirdheim.blogspot.ch/">Wirdheim in the Heart of Europe</a></b> <i>(disponible en inglés, alemán y sueco).</i><br />
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<b>Català</b>: Des de l'agost de 2013 visc amb la meva família a Zuric, Suïssa. Si te interessa saber més sobre la nostra vida allà, et convido a visitar el meu nou bloc <i><b><a href="http://erik-wirdheim.blogspot.ch/">Wirdheim in the Heart of Europe</a></b></i> (disponible en anglès, alemany i suec).<br />
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<i><b>Svenska</b>: Sedan Augusti 2013 bor jag tillsammans med min familj i Zürich, Schweiz. Om du skulle vara interessad av vår tillvaro där, kan du gärna besöka min nya blogg </i><b><a href="http://erik-wirdheim.blogspot.ch/">Wirdheim i Europas hjärta</a></b><i> (tillgänglig på svenska, engelska och tyska).</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Up-date March 1, 2015: My new blog was originally called <i><b>Hochdeutsch & Schwyzerdütsch</b></i> but that has now been changed to a name better matching the actual content.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UJuu
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-24128045243864908742013-08-26T00:40:00.003+02:002013-08-26T00:41:44.173+02:00See you soon, Vilanova i la Geltrú!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="310" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RfcRFMUj_AY" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Yes, it is true: We have moved and <b>no longer live in Vilanova i la Geltrú</b>, and no, <b>not even in Catalonia</b>, but in Zurich, Switzerland. But how did this happen? I who arrived in Vilanova with the absolute intention to stay for the rest of my life.<br />
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That idea seemed to be almost frightening to my wife and that is where we have the beginning to an explanation. Add to this that she has got a very good job in an economically and politically stable country, and you can add a few more pieces to the puzzle. And to complete the picture, I must admit that I, personally, have been fed up with living and seing my children growing up in a country where politicians (unfortunately both in Catalonia and the rest of Spain) seem to think that corruption is good, as long as they can make sure not to be formally convicted of it.<br />
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This does not change the fact that our move has created a huge void in me. We have moved from a town where almost everyone knew who I was, where I was a citizen and had begun to understand the local community to the extent that I could make initiatives and act, at least to the same degree as those who have always lived in Vilanova i la Geltrú.<br />
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Anyhow, I am glad that the whole relocation project was allowed to take such a long time. We started planning this in January and that has given me time to, on the one hand, to think about what I wanted to <b>experience before I left </b>and, on the other hand, determine what <b>knowledge I wanted to bring with me</b>.<br />
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That I got to experience one last complete<b> town festival - <i>festa major</i> </b>- as an <b>active participant</b> is invaluable, since this, in my eyes, is the absolute <b>essence of Catalan culture</b>. A few highly intense days. repeated year after year, when traditions are important and you together with a lot of friends, neighbours and acquaintances<b> give it all for you own town</b>, although noone beyond the municipal boundary cares at all. In this I have found a wonderful <b>Mediterranean culture</b> which I – a native Swede - did not even know existed before I came here.<br />
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That I, during the <i>festa major </i>got the chance to make a last human pillars on four levels with <b><i>Bordegassos de Vilanova</i></b> and a last<i> Pira de 10</i> plus a walking pillar of three levels with<b><i> Falcons de Vilanova i la Geltrú,</i></b> of course, made my experience and memories even more colourful. Fortunately, all the water blisters I had on my feet after all parades (<i>cercaviles</i>) have healed by now.<br />
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But what kind of knowledge was it that I decided to bring with me? Well, apart from the <b>languages</b>, that is <b>Catalan</b> as well as <b>Spanish</b>, at the very end I found yet another area: <b>wine and <i>cava</i></b>. In retrospect, I almost regret that I did not begin approaching this even earlier, but better late than never. Thanks to wine tourism I can make sure that my connection to my "second home" and the rest of the Penedès will continue to evolve.<br />
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Here you have the amazing videos which <i><a href="http://youtu.be/ppbV-X0ygi4">Bordegassos de Vilanova</a></i> and <a href="http://youtu.be/rH9nxNYZXrc"><i>Falcons de Vilanova i la Geltrú</i>,</a> respectively, made as goodbye gifts for me. Many thanks to all of you who, during so many years, have made me feel so welcome, but also interesting, intelligent, strong, and - not the least - young again in <b>Vilanova i la Geltrú!</b><br />
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<b><i><a href="http://wirdheiminvilanova.blogspot.ch/2013/08/vi-ses-snart-vilanova-i-la-geltru.html">Swedish version</a></i></b><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UJuu
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Zúrich, Suiza47.3686498 8.539182500000038147.3686498 8.5391825000000381 47.3686498 8.5391825000000381tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-13145923270980772502013-08-25T23:25:00.000+02:002013-08-26T00:44:42.005+02:00Vi ses snart, Vilanova i la Geltrú!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="310" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RfcRFMUj_AY" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Ja, det är sant: <b>Vi har flyttat</b> och <b>bor inte längre i Vilanova i la Geltrú</b>, nej<b> inte ens i Katalonien</b>, utan i Zürich, i Schweiz. Men hur blev det så här? Själv kom jag ju till Vilanova med den absoluta föresatsen att rota mig och stanna kvar livet ut.<br />
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Den tanken föreföll dock närmast skrämmande för min fru och där har vi början till en förklaring. Lägg där till att hon har fått ett väldigt bra jobb i ett ekonomiskt och politiskt mycket stabilt land, så har vi ytterligare några pusselbitar. Och för att komplettera bilden måste jag erkänna att jag, personligen, har tröttnat på att bo och se mina barn växa upp i ett land där politikerna (tyvärr både i Katalonien och resten av Spanien) verkar tycka att korruption är bra, så länge de kan se till att inte bli formellt fällda för det. <br />
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Detta ändrar dock inte det faktum att vår flytt har skapat ett enormt tomrum i mig. Vi har flyttat från ett stad där nästan alla visste vem jag var, där jag var medborgare och hade börjat förstå det lokala samhället såpass att jag kunde ta initiativ och agera, åtminstone i samma grad som de som alltid bott i Vilanova i la Geltrú. <br />
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Hursomhelst är jag glad att hela flyttprojektet fick ta lång tid. Vi började planera för det redan i januari och det har gett mig tid att, å ena sidan, hinna tänka efter vad jag <b>ville uppleva innan jag reste</b> och, å den andra, fastställa <b>vilka kunskaper jag ville ta med mig</b>.<br />
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Att jag fick vara med om en sista komplett <b>stadsfestival </b>– <i><b>festa major </b></i>– som aktiv deltagare är ovärderligt, eftersom detta, i mina ögon, är den absoluta <b>essensen av katalansk kultur</b>. Några få intensiva dagar varje år, då <b>traditionerna </b>väger tungt och då du tillsammans med mängder av <b>vänner, grannar och bekanta</b> <b>ger allt för er stad</b>, trots att ingen utanför kommungränsen bryr sig. I detta har jag hittat en underbar <b>medelhavskultur </b>som jag – som svensk – inte ens visste att den existerade, innan jag kom hit. <br />
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Att jag i samband med<i> festa major</i> fick chansen att göra en sista mänsklig pelare om fyra nivåer tillsammans med <i><b>Bordegassos de Vilanova</b></i> samt en sista <i>pira de 10 </i>och en vandrande pelare om tre nivåer tillsammans med <i><b>Falcons de Vilanova i la Geltrú </b></i>gjorde naturligtvis upplevelserna och minnena ännu mer intensiva. Vattenblåsorna som jag hade på mina fötter efter alla parader (<i>cercaviles</i>) har, som tur är, läkts vid det här laget.<br />
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Vad var det då för kunskaper som jag bestämde mig för att ta med mig? Förutom <b>språken</b>, alltså både <b>katalanska </b>och <b>spanska</b>, hittade jag, på slutet, ännu ett område: <b>vin och <i>cava</i></b>. Så här i efterhand kan jag nästan ångra att jag inte börjat att närma mig det ännu tidigare, men bättre sent än aldrig. Genom vinturism ska jag se till att <b>min koppling till min ”andra hemstad” samt till resten av Penedès fortsätter att utvecklas.</b><br />
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Här har ni de fantastiska <b>videos </b>som <i><a href="http://youtu.be/ppbV-X0ygi4">Bordegassos de Vilanova</a></i> respektive <i><a href="http://youtu.be/rH9nxNYZXrc">Falcons de Vilanova i la Geltrú</a> </i>gjorde som avskedspresenter till mig. Stort tack till alla er som under så många år har fått mig att känna mig så <b>välkommen</b>, men också<b> intressant, intelligent, stark </b>och – inte minst – <b>ung på nytt</b> i <b>Vilanova i la Geltrú</b>!<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://wirdheiminvilanova.blogspot.ch/2013/08/see-you-soon-vilanova-i-la-geltru.html">English version</a></i></b><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UJuu
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Zúrich, Suiza47.3686498 8.539182500000038147.1966098 8.2164590000000377 47.5406898 8.8619060000000385tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-55965778540973907282013-07-12T18:10:00.002+02:002013-07-12T18:18:46.431+02:00Wine tours with Wirdheim in Penedès, Catalonia, Spain and... and... and...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.discoverpenedes.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9ipigTlnGQYT2PGqccI5FvYoD-OeDWG9hu321CtB7luboqNJrPDzYe_ADNwiXZdmv2oBks1-Y4tTu4O65BPciStdA3JecX35IdGh_yPifQdDyrktbHRhSEWjAb815iy4iI-lNNXAkMC9/s200/Erik+Wirdheim+Wine+Tours+Penedes.JPG" width="108" /></a></div>
Now I can finally begin to organize <b><i>cava</i> and wine tours in Penedès</b> in my own name! Yesterday, I was informed that our <b>travel guarantee fund</b> is now available at <i><b>Kammarkollegiet </b></i>in Sweden - a necessary step for our <b>Swedish company, Wirdheim Culture AB,</b> to be entitled to act as a<b> travel agency</b>. This, in turn, is a requirement for anyone who wants to sell <b>package tours</b> - in my case, wine trips including <b>vineyard visits, wine tastings, guide services </b>and <b>meals.</b><br />
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With the legal right to start promoting my activities a lot of doors suddenly open up. To get started as quickly as possible, I have reactivated my spare time project <b>DiscoverPenedes.com</b> where I present an <b><a href="http://www.discoverpenedes.com/tourist-info-in-english/wine-tours-penedes-barcelona-catalonia-cava-tasting/wine-tours-from-barcelona-to-penedes-and-priorat-at-special-price/">introductory offer at special prices</a></b>. But I want to take full advantage of my knowledge of both languages and culture here so this time I aim much higher. To include <b>Priorat </b>(Tarragona) is - according to the plans - just a precursor to an upcoming web project where I will go even further and also cover the <b>rest of Catalonia and Spain</b> or (why not?) even more.<br />
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It is time for wine tours with <b>Erik Wirdheim as a guide</b> - and with a <b>starting point in Penedès!</b><br />
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<a href="http://wirdheiminvilanova.blogspot.com.es/2013/07/vinturer-penedes-katalonien-spanien.html"><i>Swedish version</i></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UJuu
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Carrer Ramon y Cajal, 08800 Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain41.2199983 1.717955999999958341.2170123 1.7129134999999582 41.2229843 1.7229984999999584tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-67941840413174112892013-07-11T23:13:00.001+02:002013-07-12T18:18:06.227+02:00Vinturer med Wirdheim i Penedès, Katalonien, Spanien och... och... och...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.discoverpenedes.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKt3MOz19PkhVVoi0KK8DMh6KAuwMMivQJxbB5W7irui0mijGb_OL6aZp7zicr7MtcRzaFifHZPL5t8oUM7LpZxOKEYnUKtcs_xQ0CZ0nt78MROXv1xRdQRKwzbw3hhVAz6SburPlZeTI_/s320/Wine+Tours+Wirdheim+Culture+AB.JPG" /></a></div>
Nu kan jag äntligen börja organisera <b>vinturer i Penedès</b> i eget namn! Idag meddelade svenska Kammarkollegiet att de har fått in vår resegaranti – ett nödvändigt steg för att vårt svenska företag,<b> Wirdheim Culture AB</b>, ska få agera som <b>resebyrå</b>. Detta är, i sin tur, ett krav om man vill sälja <b>paketresor </b>– i mitt fall <b>turer omfattande vingårdsbesök, vinprovningar, guidning och måltider.</b><br />
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Med laglig rätt att börja marknadsföra mina aktiviteter och öppnas en mängd dörrar. För att komma igång så snabbt som möjligt har jag återaktiverat mitt fritidsprojekt <b>DiscoverPenedes.com </b>och presenterar redan ett <b><a href="http://www.discoverpenedes.com/sv/upptack-penedes-pa-svenska/vinturer-penedes-barcelona-katalonien-cava-vinprovning/svenska-vinturer-fran-barcelona-till-penedes-och-priorat-till-specialpris/">introduktionserbjudande till specialpris</a></b>. Men nu vill jag verkligen dra nytta av mina kunskaper i både språk och kultur här så jag siktar högre. Att jag inkluderar <b>Priorat </b>(Tarragona) är, enligt planerna, bara en förlöpare till ett kommande web-projekt ska jag nå längre än så – åtminstone ut till resten av Katalonien och Spanien.<br />
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Dags alltså för vinturer med <b>Erik Wirdheim </b>som guide – och med utgångspunkt i <b>Penedès</b>!<br />
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<a href="http://wirdheiminvilanova.blogspot.com.es/2013/07/wine-tours-penedes-catalonia-spain.html"><i>Engelsk version</i></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UJuu
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Carrer Ramon y Cajal, 08800 Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain41.2199983 1.717955999999958341.2170123 1.7129134999999582 41.2229843 1.7229984999999584tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-77810713482321885832013-06-23T01:45:00.001+02:002013-06-23T01:52:48.293+02:00Catalan Devils Dancing Under Fire – ‘Correfoc’ in Vilanova i la Geltrú<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="310" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/89K1o1AhX3k" width="480"></iframe><br />
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We have reached midsummer and, as of tradition, the town district <b>Baix a Mar<i></i></b> of <b>Vilanova i la Geltrú </b>(Barcelona, Catalonia) celebrates<i> Festes de Sant Pere</i>. One of the highlights, in my eyes, is the <i><b>correfoc </b></i>(“<b>firerun</b>”) with devils and firespitting monsters. <br />
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This <i>correfoc</i>, admittedly, cannot be compared with the big one which we see here during the <i>festa major </i>, but I do think that it has found its own profile, since it makes you discover the streets of a district which so many of us regularly pass through on the way to the beaches, but where cultural activities of this kind are rare. <br />
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A big hand to the organisers, <i>Tronats de Mar<b></b></i>, and the participating teams, among others <i>Carpa Juanito i Porró</i><b><i></i></b> and <i>Ball de Diables del Bisbal del Penedès</i>.<br />
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Discover <b>Vilanova i la Geltrú</b> – my town in Catalonia!<br />
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http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Rambla de la Pau, 08800 Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain41.2179393 1.7282324999999941.2119673 1.7181474999999902 41.2239113 1.73831749999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-20016508294321958002013-06-05T23:04:00.002+02:002013-06-05T23:12:30.250+02:00Patum in Berga – Catalonia on Fire in its Strangest ‘Festa’<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="310" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4N4ly46mcZE" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Catalonia's most spectacular <b>Corpus Christi </b>celebration takes place in <b>Berga</b>. It is not even known as Corpus longer but as<i><b> La Patum</b></i> – an onomatopoeic description of the sound of the drum which sets the pace for this event, so unique that it has been included on <b><a href="http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00156">UNESCO's list of the immaterial heritage humanity.</a></b><br />
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<i>Patum </i>is also a good example of how the Catalan Corpus traditions ever since the late Middle Ages have got more of a popular than religious touch. Sources reveal that in 1525 the people of Berga had begun to distinguish the Catholic Corpus procession from the folk festival, <i><b>Bulla</b></i>. The latter consisted of short performances which depicted the <b>struggle between good and evil,</b> for example, personalised through, for example, the archangel and the devil. <i>Bulla </i>quickly gained popularity and since the celebrations could be quite turbulent, the church on several occasions tried to ban it.<br />
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<i>Bulla </i>is thus the background to the elements we now associate with <i>Patum</i>. The main ingredient is a series of short performances - intermezzos (<i>entremesos </i>in Catalan) – carried out by various groups (<i>comparses</i>) from Thursday to Sunday in week of Corpus Christi. They follow a fixed order, repeated year after year: It starts with a man with a big drum (<i><b>Tabal</b></i>) after which follows the dance <i><b><a href="http://youtu.be/wziVS_bxfgg">Turcs i Cavallets</a></b></i> (a local version of the struggle between Christians and Arabs, <i>cristians i moros</i>). Hereafter we have the first appearances of fire and firecrackers: <i><b><a href="http://youtu.be/tETMcxmlPNs">Maces </a></b></i>- where devils dance under fire - and the two monsters <a href="http://youtu.be/Y8Hl4I34gh8"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Guita grossa</i> and <i style="font-weight: bold;">Guita xica</i></a> (Catalan mules (<i>mules</i>), but here with long giraffe necks). Then the turn comes to well-known characters as the Eagle (<i><b>Aliga</b></i>), big-heads (<i><b><a href="http://youtu.be/Y8Hl4I34gh8">Nans vells</a></b></i> and <i><b><a href="http://youtu.be/aHGt4Mwp3-I">Nans nous</a></b></i>) and the town’s giants (<a href="http://youtu.be/kmCtHpzvfco"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gegants vell </i>and <i style="font-weight: bold;">Gegants nous</i></a>) . It is all rounded off through the joint dance <i><b>tirabols </b></i>which historically was the only moment when the spectators were allowed to mix with the performers, something which happens all the time nowadays.<br />
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Personally, I am extremely happy for having taken the time to experience <i>La Patum </i>this year. Last <b>Thursday</b>, I saw <i><b>La Patum de lluïment</b></i> which gave me a good overview while the square where everything takes place, <i><b>plaça de Sant Pere</b></i>, was full of people in a way with which even most Swedes feel comfortable.<br />
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But it was only last <b>Sunday evening</b>, with<i><b> La Patum completa</b></i> in twilight and darkness, that I really grasped why this festival has become such a strong <b>symbol for the Catalan folk culture</b>. Watching the whole square, absolutely packed with people, sing along with the music and dance around is totally amazing, not only when <i>l'Aliga</i> or<i> les guites</i> move around rapidly and quite literally <b>draw lines in the crowd</b>.<br />
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My strongest emotions, however, came with the highlight (performed only at night, not during the Patum de lluïment): <i><b>Salt the plens.</b></i> This intermezzo consists of exactly one hundred people dancing around in thick helmets on top of which a strong fire is burning. The name <i>plens </i>stems from the fact that they are indeed<b> full of fire </b>- <i>plens the foc</i>. While I stood there dancing, in the heat and the thick smoke, I felt downright crazily Catalan.<br />
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Sources:<br />
<a href="http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patum_de_Berga"><i>Wikipedia</i></a><br />
<a href="http://www.festes.org/articles.php?id=93"><i>Festes.org</i></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UJuu
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Plaça Sant Pere, 08600 Berga, Barcelona, Spain42.104332199999988 1.846346400000015842.103595699999985 1.8450859000000157 42.10506869999999 1.8476069000000159tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-49694618111650774842013-06-05T00:05:00.003+02:002013-06-05T23:13:16.320+02:00SWE: Patum i Berga – Kataloniens märkligaste fest med eld<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="310" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4N4ly46mcZE" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Kataloniens mest speciella <b><i>Corpus</i>-firande</b> äger rum i <b>Berga</b>. Det kallas inte ens Corpus Christi (Kristi lekamens högtid) längre utan är känt som<b><i> La Patum</i></b> – en onomatopoetisk beskrivning av ljudet från den tumma som sätter takten till denna fest, så unik att den har tagits upp på <b><a href="http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00156">UNESCOs lista över mänsklighetens immtateriella kulturarv</a>.</b><br />
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<i>La Patum</i> är samtidigt ett lysande exempel på hur <i>Corpus</i>-traditionen i Katalonien alltsedan sen medeltid fick en mer folklig än religiös karaktär. Källor avslöjar att man i Berga år 1525 hade börjat att särskilja kyrkans <i>Corpus</i>-procession från den därpå följande festen, <i><b>Bulla</b></i>. Den senare utgjordes av korta <b>uppträdanden som skildrade kampen mellan gott och ont, </b>personifierade t.ex. genom t.ex. ärkeängeln och djävulen. <i>Bulla </i>blev snabbt populärt och eftersom firandet kunde bli lite väl uppsluppet, försökte kyrkan vid ett flertal tillfällen att förbjuda det.<br />
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<i>Bulla<b> </b></i>är bakgrunden till de element som vi idag associerar med <i>Patum</i>. Huvudingrediensen är en rad korta uppträdanden – intermezzon (<i>entremesos </i>på katalanska) - som gör av olika grupper (<i>comparses</i>) från torsdagen till söndagen i <i>Corpus</i>-veckan. De följer ett fast skema som upprepas år efter år: Först slår en man på en stor trumma (<i><b>tabal</b></i>) varefter följer dansen <i><b><a href="http://youtu.be/wziVS_bxfgg">Turcs i Cavallets</a></b></i> (en lokal version av kampen mellan kristna och araber, <i>cristians i moros</i>). Sedan kommer de första inslagen av eld och smällare: <i><b><a href="http://youtu.be/tETMcxmlPNs">Maces </a></b></i>– där djävular dansar under eld – och de två monstren <a href="http://youtu.be/Y8Hl4I34gh8"><i><b>Guita grossa </b></i>och <i><b>Guita xica</b></i></a> (katalanska mulåsnor (<i>mules</i>), men här med långa giraffhalsar). Sedan dyker kända karaktärer som örnen (<i><b>àliga</b></i>), storhuvuden (<i><b><a href="http://youtu.be/tuYuzObn0II">nans vells</a></b></i> och<b><i> <a href="http://youtu.be/aHGt4Mwp3-I">nans nous</a></i></b>) samt stadens jättar (<a href="http://youtu.be/kmCtHpzvfco"><b style="font-style: italic;">gegants vells </b>och <b style="font-style: italic;">gegants nous</b></a>) upp. Allt avrundas med den gemensamma dansen <i><b>tirabols</b></i>, vilken förr var det tillfälle då publiken fick blanda sig med de uppträdande, något som i våra dagar görs hela tiden.<br />
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Personligen är jag enormt nöjd över att jag tog mig tid att åka upp till Patum. På <b>torsdagen </b>såg jag <i><b>La Patum de lluïment </b></i>och fick därmed en känsla för helheten medan torget där allt utspelas, <i><b>plaça de Sant Pere,</b></i> var fullt på ett sätt som till och med många svenskar känner sig bekväma med. <br />
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Men det var först på <b>söndagkvällen </b>med <i><b>La Patum completa</b></i> i <b>skymningsljus </b>och <b>mörker </b>som jag verkligen kände och förstod varför denna fest har blivit en sådan stark symbol för den katalanska folkkulturen. Att se ett helt, på alla sätt <b>överfullt torg </b>gång efter gång <b>sjunga med</b> i musiken och <b>dansa runt</b> är enormt mäktigt – inte minst när figurerna <i>l’àliga </i>eller <i>les guites</i> rör sig snabt och bokstavligen <b>ritar linjer i folkhavet. </b><br />
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Starkast av allt är dock höjdpunkten (som bara görs på natten, alltså inte under <i>Patum de Lluïment</i>): <i><b>Salt de plens. </b></i>Detta intermezzo är något så underligt som <b>hundra människor </b>som dansar runt under tjocka hjälmar ovanpå vilka det brinner kraftigt. Namnet <i>plens </i>kommer sig av att de <b>bokstavligen är</b> <b>fulla av eld</b> – <i>plens de foc</i>. När jag stod där och dansade, i värmen och röken, kände jag mig rent ut sagt galet katalansk. <br />
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<b><i>Källor:</i></b><br />
<a href="http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patum_de_Berga"><i>Wikipedia</i></a><br />
<i><a href="http://www.festes.org/articles.php?id=93">Festes.org</a></i><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UJuu
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Plaça Sant Pere, 08600 Berga, Barcelona, Spain42.104332199999988 1.846346400000015842.103595699999985 1.8450859000000157 42.10506869999999 1.8476069000000159tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-82376815026672907612013-05-30T00:28:00.003+02:002013-05-30T01:13:09.470+02:00Swedish Midsummer in Berga (Barcelona) and a Visit to the Sanctuary of Queralt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Among a few more or less <b>Swedish families</b> living around Barcelona, we have the tradition to, once every summer, rent a farmhouse (casa rural), to be able to celebrate a proper Swedish <b>midsummer </b>party. Most of the times, so far, we have stayed at <i><b><a href="http://www.cancaubet.com/">Can Caubet</a>,</b></i> near <b>Berga </b>(Berguedà, Barcelona) since its big garden allows for the children to play on one side of the house, while we adults can have some time for ourselves on the other. <br />
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So we did also this year - albeit almost a whole month before the actual Swedish midsummer celebrations (June 21) -, a what a good time we had, in spite of the<b> unusually cold weather</b>. This year we, apparently, have the coldest spring since 1991, or something like that.<br />
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To add some local flavour to the trip, we went up to the <b>Sanctuary of the Virgin of Queralt</b> (<i>Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Queralt</i>) and it was well worth a visit, not the least since we spotted <b>nine eagles </b>flying around. From there you also have a magnificent view over the major part of the province of Barcelona. Personally, I love to have the <b>mountain of Montserrat</b> reminding me of how "small" Catalonia is. From Vilanova i la Geltrú is takes one and a half hour to drive up to Berga and still you see Montserrat and know, that there, on the other side, is where you live.<br />
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http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com008600 Berga, Barcelona, Spain42.1012595 1.843922099999986142.077696499999995 1.803581599999986 42.1248225 1.8842625999999862tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709628234185282197.post-86149230838270900012013-05-29T01:21:00.002+02:002013-05-29T01:22:32.109+02:00Delta de l'Ebre - a Very Different Part of Catalonia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since I have always associated rice fields with the four years we spent living in Thailand, before we went down to <b>Delta de l'Ebre </b>(Tarragona, Catalonia), I reminded myself that I must not miss to check out how they look in Europe. As if there were any risk we could have missed them - the <b>Ebro delta</b> is much bigger than I ever imagined and still it is virtually completely covered with rice fields.<br />
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Among the other lasting impressions we brought home with us, I would also like to mention the extremely <b>wide beaches</b>, the <b>wild flamingos</b> (although I admit that you hardly see them in my photos of them) and the <b>fantastic rice dishes</b> we were served.<br />
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I would not say that this is the most breathtaking part of Catalonia, but its water and sky dominated sceneries certainly stand out in this otherwise always mountainous country.<br />
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<i>We stayed in a bungalow at <a href="http://www.campingeucaliptus.com/"><b>Camping Eucaliptus</b></a> and - with the exception of the unnecessarily time consuming check-in process -, we were highly content with the location, facilities, playgrounds for the children and restaurant.</i><br />
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http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping</div>Erik Wirdheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.com0Tarragona, Spain40.676396176636693 0.8162403718749828840.2911226766367 0.17079337187498289 41.06166967663669 1.4616873718749828