What are the most famous Catalan traditions? When it comes to exploring different cultures, this is one of our favorite ways to get to know these new cultures better: through the people and the most popular traditions from that country. So we made a list of the most famous Catalan traditions to discover the country from the most genuine point of view:
Sant Jordi’s Day: roses and books
When it comes to the most famous Catalan traditions, we definitely have our favorite: Sant Jordi. On this day, the city turns into the most beautiful paradise: books and roses are everywhere. Even though the city center gets pretty crowded, walking the streets visiting the book and roses stands is such an experience. If you want to know why on April 23 the city wakes up dressed in red roses you can’t miss the article we wrote about Sant Jordi in Barcelona and the legend behind it.
La Mona de Pasqua
We also celebrate Easter in Spain, with many events all over the country (for instance, does Feria de Abril ring a bell?). But when it comes to Catalan traditions during this festivity, we have a special one: La Mona de Pasqua. This is a special pie which is given from godparents to godchildren on “Dilluns de Pasqua”, the last day of Easter in Catalonia. But where does this tradition come from? We wrote about it: La Mona de Pasqua, and also featured some local places to get them.
El Tió, a fun Christmas tradition
Definitely the most fun among the most famous Catalan traditions, specially for the kids. Because, how magic is to feed a magic log for days and then make him poop some gifts on Christmas Day? The tradition “El Tió” is definitely the most creative, and we really love it.
Also, there is another fun ritual related to this one: el Caganer, which consists of placing in the Nativity scene a figurine of a man poop (dressed with the traditional Catalan clothes, which include the famous Catalan hat “barretina”). El Caganer is definitely who gets all the attention in any nativity scene: “Where is el Caganer?”.
Calçotades: food and love
We couldn’t end this Catalan traditions list without including one linked to food… And it couldn’t be other than Calçotada! Besides these onions and the romesco sauce alre delicious, we believe that this tradition is more about a beautiful feeling. Because a calçotada is always the perfect excuse to reunite with friends that we don’t see so often or with our family. Beyond calçots, calçotades are more about the joy of celebrating life.
Castellers, an ancient tradition
This is probably the most shocking among Catalan traditions. You might run into a castellers show while walking the streets of Ciutat Vella on a Sunday morning, and if you never read about this tradition before, you are probably going to be amazed by these human towers. Castellers is one of the most popular Catalan traditions, which has more than two centuries of history.
Nit de Sant Joan, the most magic night
We feel the excitement in the air when Sant Joan is approaching: it means Summer is just around the corner! And la Nit de Sant Joan is a really special night, with a main ritual around bonfires to symbolize the old things that we don’t really need any more. Also, in terms of food, there is a traditional Catalan pie which is only eaten during this special night: Coca de Sant Joan. And guess what: it is delicious!
Did you know all these popular traditions? Which one of these famous Catalan traditions is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!