Submitted by Justin Verhaaren on the 2017 spring semester program in Barcelona, Spain…
This week we experienced some Catalan traditions. We ate Calcots. Calcots are long onions that are barbecued and are a traditional starting dish of Catalan. Going with the theme of Catalan traditions,the entire weekend was the festival of Santa Eulalia. The festival consisted of a Correfoc which translates to fire run, where citizens dress up as devils and shoot off fireworks as they run around. Next on the agenda were Casterellas which is where groups compete to make the tallest human tower, a well known and widely photographed tradition. After all of these activities, the festival ended with the parade of giants which are giant paper-mache dolls that are carried through the street. Being able to experience all of this historical culture really made me reflect on some of the things we do back in the United States that don’t date back nearly as long as these traditions have been occurring and I am happy I got to experience it.