Remembering Les Santes Fesitival in Mataro, Spain...

Today I listened to an episode of my favorite podcast, Too Beautiful to Live. The host, Luke, had called a listener who discussed his favorite Swiss festival involving a snowman that gets blown up.

This reminded me of a festival I experienced abroad. My ex-boyfriend and I were staying at his friend's house in Mataro, Spain. This was July 2001. The following links are just some examples I pulled off youtube.

First, we participated in building a Diada Castellera (human castle).

Capgrossos de Mataro:

Then, there was a parade of "giants".

All of that was pretty cool, but tame. The next part of the festival was total chaos. "Devils" chase after the townspeople with poles that have a wheel of spinning fireworks on top. This ends in a huge fireworks display.

After the pyrotechnics, there's a lot of drumming to the center of town where there's a big rock concert. At the concert, everyone is drenched in water.

It's called "Les Santes", the Saints, but there is nothing Catholic about this celebration... in my eyes the giant figures, the fire, and the water all seem somewhat pagan. Pagans were so much fun.