Patum de Berga

Patum of Berga
Patum of Berga
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Country	Spain
Domains	Social practices, rituals and festive events
Reference	156
Region	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	2008 (3th session)
List	Representative

Patum of Berga
Patum of Berga
Date(s)	Corpus Christi
Frequency	Annual
Location(s)	Berga (Barcelona), Spain

The Patum de Berga (Catalan pronunciation: [pəˈtum də ˈβeɾɣə]), or simply La Patum, is a popular and traditional festival that is celebrated each year in the Catalan city of Berga (Barcelona) during Corpus Christi. It consists of a series of "dances" (in Catalan, balls) by townspeople dressed as mystical and symbolic figures, and accompanied either by the rhythm of a drum—the tabal, whose sound gives the festival its name—or band music. The balls are marked by their solemnity and their ample use of fire and pyrotechnics.

It was declared a Traditional Festival of National Interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya in 1983. In 2005, UNESCO declared it one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and, in 2008, inscribed it on its Representative List.^[1]

Balls

Els Plens. Documented since 1628.^[2]
Els Turcs i Cavallets (Turks and Little Knights). Documented since 1828.
Les Maces. Documented since 1628.
Les Guites (Folkloric "mules"). Documented since 1626 (Guita Grossa), 1890 (Guita boja).
L'Àliga (The Eagle). Documented since 1756.
Els Nans Vells (The Old Dwarfs). Documented since 1853.
Els Gegants (The Giants). Documented since 1695.^[3]
Els Nans Nous (The New Dwarfs). Documented since 1890.

Origins and significance

"La Patum" has its origins in pre-Christian celebrations of the Summer solstice, which were recycled and given new symbolism by the Catholic Church as part of its Corpus celebrations. In Berga, the earliest conserved reference to a Corpus procession is May 20, 1454^[1]. The festival evolved and incorporated more elements popular and religious theater in the Middle Ages, leading to a unique combination of giants, devils, angels, moors, and other bizarre-looking characters.

Despite the religious significance of Corpus Christi, and the Patum's descent from "eucharistic performances," in its present form it is rather a show of popular theater. It is unique in Catalonia. Anthropologists and specialists in folklore have been interested in La Patum.

Bruce Springsteen song

In 2016, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the "old giants" (Gegants vells) and the 125th anniversary of the "new giants" (Gegants nous), the Bruce Springsteen song If I should fall behind, arranged by Sergi Cuenca, was danced by both couples of giants.^[4]^[5]

Gallery

Ball de Nans Vells
Ball de Nans Nous
Salt de Plens
Ball de Gegants
Patum de lluïment
Guita Grossa

Bibliography

Noyes, Dorothy (2003). Fire in the plaça : Catalan festival politics after Franco. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1849-7.

References

^ info at UNESCO.org
^ Felipó i Oriol, Ramon; Forner, Climent (2005). La Patum: el Corpus Christi de Berga. Edicions El Mèdol. ISBN 8496294145.
^ Fernández Durán, Juan Antonio (2008). World heritage monuments in Spain. Alymar.
^ "Vídeo: L'espectacular ball de gegants de la Patum amb música de Bruce Springsteen | VilaWeb". Vilaweb.cat. 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
^ "Els Gegants De La Patum Ballen Al So De Bruce Springsteen". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-03.