Photography shop in Berga with over 2 million historical documents closes
Two beloved book stores in Barcelona will also close doors by end of year
patum
PODCAST: Pa-tum Pa-tum Pa-tum – inside Berga's wild medieval rave
Fire-breathing dragons, dancing giants and thousands of people pack narrow streets for ancient festival like no other
Unraveling Berga's secret: how La Patum festivities have endured 600 years
Traditional celebration in northern town of Berga has medieval roots and attracts thousands of people
Fire and revelry take over Berga square for central day of La Patum festivity
Demons group marks 400th anniversary with firecrackers on tails and heads
UNESCO-recognized La Patum celebrations begin with a bang after Covid hiatus
First day of festivity features parade of dancing giants, demons and dragons with fire coming out of their mouths
Berga cancels 'La Patum' festivities after initially postponing them until September
As announced Friday, organizers unanimously decide against holding celebration
Berga lights the touch paper on this year's Patum festivities
Raucous celebration with fireworks, parades and revelry gets underway in central Catalonia beneath giant independence flag
La Patum: Berga's 'explosive' annual festival
Every June, the Berguedà county capital in central Catalonia lets its hair down for five days of celebrations in which fireworks play a key role
Berga prepares to light the touchpaper on the Patum
This year, the festival's organizers are promoting responsible drinking with subsidized non-alcoholic cocktails and free bottles of water
La Patum: the party that doesn’t forget its medieval roots
Dating back centuries, the festival is a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage
‘Patum’: the beat of a local festival with international status
‘Patum’ is a popular festival celebrated every year during Corpus Christi in the Catalan city of Berga. In this town, the earliest reference to this festival dates from 1454 although the celebration has its origins in pre-Christian festivities. During five days, the streets of Berga are transformed into a massive stage. The ‘Patum’ festival, which was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, comprises several parts and is a mixture of sound, fire and parades of allegorical and traditional figures such as ‘Guites’ (mule dragons), the Eagle and giant-headed dwarves. All the figures join to perform the final dance, the Tirabol. This years’ ‘Patum’ will take place from the 25th to the 28th of May.
An unpublished documentary from 1962 is released to celebrate ‘La Patum’
‘La Patum’ is a popular festival celebrated every year during Corpus Christi in the Catalan city of Berga. In this town, the earliest reference to this festival dates from 1454 although the celebration has its origins in pre-Christian festivities. Over the years, a new symbolism has been given to the festival – it also incorporates elements from theatre in the Middle Ages - which led to an original mix of giants, devils, angels and other peculiar-looking characters. In 2012, ‘La Patum’ celebrates its 7th anniversary since UNESCO declared it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005. This celebration coincides with the launch of a documentary which shows how ‘La Patum’ was celebrated 50 years ago.
La Patum street festival, ready for action
La Patum is a historical and immensely popular representation, born and derived from the ancient and medieval theatre performances held during the week of Corpus Christi. It is held in Berga, in Central Catalonia and it has been declared by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. 100,000 people expected at Berga for this Corpus Christi Festival.