The Fiestas de Santa Tecla, Tarragona

The Fiestas de Santa Tecla, Tarragona
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By m.p. - Sep 13, 2011 - 7:49 PM
Ten days of festivities make it an ideal time to visit Tarragona

One of the Pilars Caminants, Walking Castles - EFE

The Fiestas de Santa Tecla, Tarragona’s main festival of the year, has been celebrated in the city for centuries in honour of Tarragona’s patron saint, whose relic arrived in Tarragona in the 14th Century. It’s classed as a fiesta of National Tourist Interest.

Tradition is at the heart of the hundreds of events which take place over the ten days of festivities. They include the ‘Seguici Popular’, the popular procession which has formed part of Les Festes de Santa Tecla since the 14th Century and is opened by the Dance of Devils, representing the fight between the forces of good and evil, where the Archangel Michael fights against the devils.

Giants can also be seen dancing at the Festes de Santa Tecla, and there are beasts in the form of dragons, the fantastical ‘cucafera’ and other bestiary which are carried along in the parades.

The troupes of stick dancers perform their intricate movements accompanied to flute music, bagpipes and drum.

Then there are the ‘Mojiganga’, a type of street theatre parade which dates back to the 18th Century in Cataluña.

One of the most popular events is the ‘Correfoc’, where people jump over others who carry fire and represent dragons and devils.

The Catalan tradition of human towers, the castells or castles formed by team of ‘castellers’, is an integral part of Les Festes de Santa Tecla and is one of the most important dates in the castells season. Two local teams compete against two invited ‘colles’ in the Plaça de la Fonta on the first Sunday of the fiestas and all four groups from the city can be seen in the square on September 23, each vying to construct the highest tower. There are another two rounds in the Plaça de les Colls the following day before each faces the challenge of the ‘pilar caminant’, the walking pilar, when the colles must build a pillar of four and walk it the 500 metres to the City Hall balcony in the Plaça de la Font.

Gastronomy also plays a prominent role, including a gigantic swiss roll, the ‘Brazo de Santa Tecla’, made by the patisserie guild, which is laid out in the Plaça de la Font for everyone to enjoy. The festival’s typical dish of a stew of snails and tuna is prepared on the 23rd, and the typical drink for the fiestas is ‘la mamadeta’, a mixture of green and yellow Chartreuse with lemon granita.

The dates for the 2011 Festes de Santa Tecla are September 16 to 25. More information on Tarragona City Hall’s web page for the fiestas here

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