FIRE IN THE FESTIVALS OF THE PAISOS

WITH GREATER OR LESSER INTENSITY, FIRE PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN MOST OF THE IMPORTANT CELEBRATIONS OF . he presence of fire and its use as which are held in the towns of the tunes and sadnesses and, to the sound of a toy and an art is one of the Maestrat and in Majorca on his feast bangers and by the light of exploding Oessential ingredients of the fes- day. The burning, on the last day of rockets, give life to private and shared tivals of the Paisos Catalans. Camival, of figures representing the dreams. This night takes on a special With greater or lesser intensity, fire danger of the dissolute forces that have significance in , with the bum- plays a central role in most of the prin- reigned throughout the long days of ing of the Fogueres which, as with the cipal celebrations of this cultural and Camival and the passing of winter, , have been set up al1 over the geographic area. In its different forms reaches its peak at the festival of "Les city. It's also on the night of Saint John and expressions, from the primitive, an- Falles de Sant Josep" in the city of that the cultural and communicative cestral torch or bonfire to the most soph- . "Les Falles", monumental bond that joins the Paisos Catalans is isticated, modern displays of fireworks group-sculptures of papier-miiché, iro- strengthened and expressed through the and music, the igneous element is the nic representations of the activities of ceremonious descent of the flame catalyst around which the ritual of public figures and the events of the pre- which, symbolising the soul of the com- many celebrations is structured. ceding year, set up in the squares to be mon language, is brought down from Shaped on the basis of influences of burnt on the night of , with the peak of the Canigó and spread in many cultures -Iberian, Celtic, Graeco- al1 their accompanying firework para- relays as far as the remotest hamlet, Roman, Judaic, Arab and Christian-, phemalia, "mascletades", castles of fire, where it lights the bonfires of this spe- the mythical and symbolic presence of etc., are some of the most impressive cial night. fire in the festive calendar of these and spectacular forms that fire can take Later on in the calendar, in mid-August, lands is extremely rich. on in a festival. when summer begins to turn and the Rituals, games, dances and shows, using When spring is already well advanced, festivity of Our Lady arrives, half the fire and fireworks, accompany the high just at the end of May or the beginning country's towns celebrate their Festa points of the year and bring to life the of June, and the festival of Corpus Major, the local feast day. age-old bonds of affection that tie the Christi comes round, fire starts to burst On the night of 15th August in Elx, men and women of these Mediterra- like a volcano from the bowels of the night is turned into day. The taste and nean lands to the mythical and essential countless beasts of fantasy -dragons, the inventiveness of the in formative element of their culture. At monsters, devils, etc.- that form part of transforming the warlike spirit of gun- these events, the sight of fire, the danger the fantastic imagery of many towns. In powder to create art fills the skies over of touching it and the pleasure of domi- Berga, with its festival of La Patum, the city of palm groves with huge and nating it are elements that give rise to fire, carried and manipulated by these brightly shining, short-lived palm- powerful emotions and intense aesthe- fantasic beings, reaches its climax as an leaves of fire in honour of the town's tic feelings. expression of the powers of the Evil protectress. It's also traditional to close Just after the start of winter, during the One in his fight against Good. The sight the local festivals in summer with a fire- Christmas celebrations, the festive ri- and more than anything else the experi- work display. These displays, of al1 tualization of fire takes a variety of ence of La Patum, which briefly tums types, sizes and budgets, after reproduc- forms. One of these, an echo of the the town square at Berga into an orgias- ing a heavenly simulacrum of primaeval ancient custom of lighting bonfires on tic reign of the igeneous element, is one of chaos, re-establish and impose a sense the night of the winter solstice, is the the most vivid impressions available to of reality following the evasion of the profusion of lights that at this time of either native or foreigner in these lands. days of celebration. year decorate and intensify the illumi- But of al1 the festivals on the calendar, The Festa Major in Barcelona includes nation of streets and squares. Another never does fire reach such magnitude as two important events connected with of the Christmas festive rituals closely on the magical night of Saint John. fire. One of these is the and the related to the primordial element is the Across the country from north to south, other the fire-and-music spectacle. The charming, time-wom domestic cere- the lighting of bonfires on the shortest correfoc is a massed gathering of bands mony of "making the yule log shit". night of the year, the night when, accord- of dancing devils and fire-spitting Similar in spirit and meaning to the ing to tradition, it's believed that men beasts. To the young people's cry of Christmas tree of the countries of north- and women fa11 in love and plants and . "Fire! Fire!", these bands chase after em Europe, the tió, a log which on water take on special powers, is the key anyone who dares to get in their way, being beaten with a stick yields up pre- that opens the gates of summer. and tum the streets of the old part of sents and sweets for the children, is an On the night of Saint John, fire, in the Barcelona into rivers of fire. The fire- expression of the sense of propitiation form of torches carried by young men and-music show that closes Barcelona's and family continuity which is symbo- and women, comes down from the "Festes de la Merck" combines fire- lised by the fire in the hearth. mountains of Isil and other Pyrenean works and music in an example of the In the festivals during the transition villages, like a re-enactment of the Pro- sophistication of the local firework in- from winter to spring, the lighting of methean gest. In al1 the other towns and dustry and offers a synthesis and a spec- bonfires takes on a purifying function, villages, the bonfires, diligently pre- tacular demonstration of the close, in- as happens in the representations of the pared the day before by the children, burn dissoluble link that joins man and fire life and temptations of Saint Anthony, al1 the unwanted rubbish, the misfor- in the festivals of the Paisos Catalans.