Dancing egg celebrations take place all over Catalonia
The 15th century tradition of unknown origin marks Corpus Christi
The unique dancing egg celebration, or l'ou com balla in Catalan, took place once again all over Catalonia will run until Sunday to mark Corpus Christi.
This Catalan tradition dates back to the 15th century, and although its exact origins are up for debate, the festivity itself generally consists in placing an egg shell over the water jet of a fountain that has been adorned with flowers.
The egg’s "dance" comes from the movement of the egg turning in the water, which is highly amusing to onlookers as it is said to never fall.
Some believe that the dancing egg is a metaphor for the life cycle’s constant movement, while others say the tradition was simply a medieval form of entertainment for children.
The first dancing egg is thought to have been at the Barcelona Cathedral's cloister, where one of the most important annual Corpus Christi event still takes place to this day.
In Barcelona, visitors can witness this unique tradition for free at both the Barcelona Cathedral cloister and at the neighboring Casa de l’Ardiaca (Archdeacon’s house) until Sunday, just in time for the Sant Joan summer solstice festivities.