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UNESCO heritage

Live the energy of festivals of millennial tradition

In Berguedà we have two traditional festivals of strong roots that represent the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, one of which is called Patum and the other is the Fia-Faia.

 

La Patum is a traditional celebration, held in the city of Berga during the Corpus festival. It's the region festival par excellence!

Derived from the ancient manifestations of medieval popular theater, it consists of different representations on the street and is characterized by a great citizen participation. It's a holiday that has remained alive for more than 600 years, although it has been changing over the time. The protagonists of La Patum are the fire, music, "comparses" and all the people who participate.

In 1983 it was declared a Heritage Festival of national interest by the Generalitat of Catalonia and on November 25, 2005, it was declared "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.

 

The other great festival is the Fia Faia, a Christmas tradition of pre-Christian origin, held in Bagà and Sant Julià de Cerdanyola from the 14th century and related to the winter solstice, which apparently would be a collective prayer in order to stop the shortening of the days.

The celebration consists in the burning of some torches, the "faies" during the sunset of Christmas night from the traditional "Toc d'Oració". Before starting burning "faies" burning, a bonfire is lit at a mountain where the sun rises, and from there the fire is transported to the village by a group of people in a showy nightfall. The carriers, when arriving, distribute the fire to the rest of "faies". This moment is accompanied by the following song: Fia-faia, que nostro senyor ha nascut a la paia.

On November 16, 2010, a patrimonial festival of national interest was declared by the Generalitat de Catalunya. And in 2015 the Fia-Faia was admitted to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity along with the summer faults in the Pyrenees.

  • Information

  • Celebration date of the Patum

    Corpus

  • Celebration date of the Fia-Faia

    Christmas Eve

  • Declared by UNESCO

    2005 Patum / 2015 Fia-Faia

OFICINA DE TURISME DEL BERGUEDÀ

Carretera C16 Km 96

 08600-Berga. Phone (+34) 654 125 696

Monday to Friday: 9 to 14h.

Saturday: 10 to 14 & 16 to 18h.

Sunday and holidays: 10 to 14h.

E-mail: turisme@elbergueda.cat

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