Art, Dance and Theatre

Everything to do with artistic activity.

Calendari Dels Pagesos

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

A friend just asked me how to find out the dates of all the Festes Majors.
Apart from asking someone who knows (and people in towns and villages all know the date of their local one), the best way is to look at the Calendari Dels Pagesos which you can buy for about 2.20E from news-stands or bookshops.

This publication is a wonderful source of information. Contents include

  • Astrological data – eclipses, phases of moon, sunrise times etc. There is also a list of when the planets are visible.
  • Religious celebrations and dates
  • Weekly markets – if it’s a Monday and you want to go to a market you can find out there is one in Arenys de Munt, Cardedeu, Olot and Santa Coloma de Farners amongst other places.
  • Catalan festivals both local and national. This is where the Festes Majors are listed. Now you can see that there are hundreds!  Looking just at July I see there are festes in Vic, Llança, Espinelves, L’Estartit, St Pol de Mar and about 160 other towns.  Imagine having all these possible parties to go to, especially as a young person. I try to count up village/street parties I went to as a teenager and I come up with 0!!!!
  • All Saints days are listed so you can keep up with all your friends and family and remember to phone them and say Per Molts Anys. Today is St Aaron and Santa Elionor.  I have decided to adopt Saint Catherine of Alexandria as my saint and her day is November 25th. Lets see if the  Calendari agrees…..yes and it is shared with Gonçal and Erasme. I don’t meet many people called Gonçal or Erasme so I have the day mostly to myself!
  • Farming information and when to plant and harvest as well as tips on chicken keeping.         July information “Tenen gran importància les feines de recol-leccio´ i d’irrigacio´. Encara es segueixen plantant tomàquets tardans per a esser collits a l’octubre o novembre.”     The  important jobs now are to harvest and to water. Continue planting late tomatoes so you can pick them in October and November

So, all in all a booklet full of useful information and all you have to do is remember to look at it from time to time.  Ours has been in a drawer until now but I will put it beside the telephone from now on.

Festa Major

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Late night we made a last minute visit to the Festa Major at Bigues. We danced in the main square and ate chips then came home. It will go on into the wee small hours of the morning but I was happy with our short visit. In fact we only went because the Resident Adolescent needed a lift there and we decided to get off the sofa and go dancing!

Festa Majors are the celebrations that take place in every town and village to mark some special occasion or saints day. It is a real sign of summer than the festes are on and you can go to a different one every weekend. Granollers will spring into life at the end of August when there is a week long party with a full programme of events.

These community parties are funded by the local councils. I’m trying to imagine that happening in the UK. Imagine little Golowans happening in every Cornish village!

Volver

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

I went back to Sant Nicolau today with Tiffany and Bonnie.
Lots of ideas flowing – plans and projects!

We had a lovely lunch with Helen and Francis and practised our translation skills, trying to explain some of our crazy English conversations to Angie who is from Honduras. She was one of the participants at Blue’s burial and will never forget her first dog funeral, something that would be totally eccentric in her own culture.
One of my reasons for going up for the day was to deliver my Blue Dog sculpture to her new home. She will watch over Blues grave and be a solid presence in the beautiful garden.

What a lovely place!  It was wonderful to return.  Blue – you good dog you!

El Cant Dels Ocells

~ Kate Wilson ~ 5 Comments

I know I have let things go rather on the language front – if you’ve been reading here then you’ll understand why.
But I made this little video in the hermita of Sant Nicolau near Ordis.
It is a beautiful Catalan traditional song, made very famous by Pau Casals playing it on the cello.
The words are:-

Al veure despuntar
El Major lluminar
En la nit més joiosa
Els ocellets cantant
A festejar-lo van
Amb sa veu melinosa

For me it is a hymn to the birds and I sang it as a thank you to all the birds of Sant Nicolau who gladdened my days and nights there.
And also as a thank you to Pep for all the love laughter and music he has brought into my life.

Tango in the Park

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Took the train to Arc de Triumf this evening to go dancing. In Ciutadella Park.
Isn’t that a lovely way to spell Triumf?

It took me over an hour to sort out the dogs first as they each have different needs – Blue a 10 minute meander down the road. Duna a 20 minute race around the block. Bonnie a 40 minute fast walk to the Park Ponent, keeping her beside the wall where possible to stop her getting panicky when anyone came behind us. (That happens a lot – it is a city!)   I have to really plan my dog walks these days.

Then half an hour to walk to the train station at Canovelles. You have to walk across the tracks there to arrive on your platform and you never know till the last minute which platform the train will come into.

In Barcelona it is a happy stroll down to the Park and the Glorietta where free outdoor tango is happening again. Summer is coming!

Gorgeous gorgeousness!  It was lovely to be there and to dance with three of my favourite partners. The breeze caresses your face as the sun goes down and the ancient wooden floor catches your heels as you spin round the bandstand. It was always a place I love to dance tango. I have very happy memories of my first time there as well as some more uncomfortable ones of times when I stood at the edge feeling lonely and awkward.
But generally now I feel at home there and tonight it was lovely and welcoming. The music drifts out across the park and people stop to watch which is very gratifying to the exhibitionist in me.  I know more people, I can speak better Spanish, I am also happy to watch and just be part of the scene.

In exactly one week it will be my birthday and the thought passed through my head to come back and dance that evening.   But who knows what the future will bring?  I decided to live for the present and celebrate tonight as my birthday and to enjoy the dance now.

 

‘Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we should dance.’  
~Author Unknown