Festa Major, Part 2

La Santa Creu, the festa major, wasn’t all food.  To help work off calories there was dancing, parades, and castells – the human towers.  The public doesn’t build those towers, but it takes some energy to stand for more than an hour and watch the teams that do and then to applaud each time they succeed (as well as those times when they don’t).  The public does, however, dance the sardana, and yours truly, twinkle toes, joined in for one.

 

Festivals here are not particularly commercial.  There may be food to buy and this one had arts and crafts stands, but there is no corporate sponsorship (or if there is, it isn't visible), no souvenirs are sold, and few, if any, activities or performances charge an entrance fee.   The money to put it on comes from the town hall and the Catalan government, and many of the activities such as the parades with the giants and the castells, are put on and manned by the public. 

 

The band that plays the sardanes
is called a cobla

Don't look for me, I'm not there

 

 

 

The parade had a police escort at the head and end.
The tail end officer made entertaining some of the
children part of his duties. 

He made a few kids very happy

 

Getting ready.  Wrapping up to protect
his back and to give those climbing over him
somewhere to get a toe hold

The musicians who accompany castells
always play the same tune once the castell
is partially built and has been deemed
viable by the cap de colla (head of the team)