Our land: CATALONIA

GENERAL INFORMATION

Catalonia is a region from

Spain

. Although it is part of Spain and Spain has others regions Catalonia is special. The most important difference is that we speak another language, Catalan. Catalonia is divided in 41 regions; we are from one called Urgell.

DATES:

Population- Población- Població……7,539,618

Density- Densidad- Densitat……233,92

Surface- Superfície- Superficie……32 106,5

Capital- Capital- Capital…… Barcelona

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Catalonia has a really famous club of sport, Barça. It has teams of Basket, football, handball…

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The patron saint of Catalonia is Sant Jordi. There is a story about he and a princess, really beautiful.

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Our flag: Our independency flag:

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TRADITIONS IN CATALONIA

· CASTELLERS

It’s is a human tower built traditionally in town’s festivals. It is a sport where several colles castelleres or teams compete. On November 16, 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

· GEGANTS I CAPGROSSOS

In Many Catalan festivals include costumed figures known as gegants i capgrossos (“Giants and Big-Heads”)

· SARDANA

It’s our typical dance, it is a type of circle dance. The sardana was forbidden during Franco's dictatorship as a catalan national symbol, but now it is a festivity of national interest.

· CASTANYADA

The Castanyada is a popular Catalan festival, celebrated on All Saints' Day ( your Halloween). The festival is usually depicted with the figure of a castanyera: an old lady, dressed in peasant's clothing and wearing a headscarf, sat behind a table, roasting chestnuts for street sale.

· ST. GEORGE DAY

It is celebrated the 23th of April in places which Saint George is the patron.

For example, in Catalonia we celebrate that party with similarities to Saint Valentine’s day. The traditions says that boys have to give a rose to the girls, and girls have to give a book to the boys.

· TIÓ DE NADAL ( Christmas log)

On Christmas day or on Christmas Eve one puts the tió partly into the fireplace and orders it to "shit". To make him "shit", one beats him with sticks, while singing various songs of Tió de Nadal.