Everyone in this country is talking about what happened in the Coldplay concert in Barcelona (Catalonia's capital city), and honestly I must say it's very funny.

As we've joked about before, Catalan people in music concerts always climb on each other in the way of castellers (traditional Catalan "human castles/towers"). Well, a girl was doing a small version of it (it was only two people!!), and Chris Martin (Coldplay's singer) stopped the concert to admire it and said "it's the best thing I've ever seen at a concert".

Chris, this is nothing!

He's impressed by a 2-people tall pilar. It's funny to us because this is what castellers look like in festivities in Catalonia:

There can be structures of only 1 person in each floor (called a pilar) which is what people do in music concerts, or there can be other kinds of castells with more people. Here's some of the best ones I've found on a quick Google search:

Before anyone misunderstands the situation, we're not laughing at Chris Martin in mean spirit, we know he's not Catalan so he just had never seen this before. But it's funny to see something that for us is so normal amaze a foreigner.

Well, Chris, if you want to learn to climb I'm sure any of the colles castelleres (castle builder groups) will be more than happy to teach you!

Els Jocs Florals, literary prices in Catalan to celebrate the beauty of the language.

i just realized that I follow 3 French artists on Instagram

I'm a disgrace to my country and my nation I will not be able to show my face in public ever again, I've been looking at a wall for 10 minutes regretting all my life's choices

In Cádiz (Andalusia), Carnival festivities are a very popular cultural event every year because, besides costumes and dressing up, lots of people compete at the championships of chirigotas, cultural associations that play and sing, very often, songs with social and political messages.

This is the kids chirigota "Las hijas de Neptuno" [Neptune's duaghters], singing about our languages. A simple message that this future generation seems to get but that it's still controversial in Spain. Eskerrik asko to these little singers for the extra effort they made to learn their verses in our language!!

Vivo en un planeta que habla las lenguas de nuestras abuelas I live in a planet that speaks our grandmas' languages lenguas ancestrales, lenguas diferentes con su identidad ancestral languages, different languages with their own identity que son un tesoro súper importante me han dicho en la escuela I've been told at school that they're a super important treasure y que nadie tiene derecho a imponer su manera de hablar and that nobody has the right to impose their way of speaking borrando el mensaje de la libertad. erasing the message of freedom. Euskal Herrian, Euskal Herrian kantu hau entzuten da In Euskal Herria, in Euskal herria this song is heard en galego sa una mariñeira cantiga in a healthy Galician, a sailors' song i las paraules que en català parlen de llibertat i de amor i de vida and the words that in Catalan speak of freedom, and of love, and of life lenguas de muchas generaciones languages of many generations que en mi planeta la gente se entiende si sabe escuchar los corazones, los corazones, los corazones. 'cause in my planet people understand each other if they can listen to their hearts, their hearts, their hearts.

[x]

[Please excuse my understanding and ortography in Galego or Català, any correction is appreciated and welcome!!]

Experimenting with Spartha's design at the beginning of his story, which is also the earliest story in the Songs projects chronologically

At that point he's barely an adult, and still pretty shy and struggling to assert himself - pretty far from his future strong and (over)confident persona he'll develop in the latest stories He just wants to hide in some remote place to make his little paintings

Catalan people, from Andorra, by virtualexpodubai

Revelation

Flok, Mik and Puk

Liliana and Flor de Lli

The grecos dancing a sardana

Illustrations for the poem "Liliana" by Apel·les Mestres, Apel·les Mestres, 1905.

Language thoughts always end up reminding me that Catalan doesn't get a standardized spelling rulebook* until 1913

Vincent's first language is Catalan, Spanish second, academic Latin, various neighbouring languages from traveling, and now daily use English. Their spelling must be fucking awful good lord. Poor lad is trying to piece together English spelling from spoken word with a primarily romance language background. They are Not having a good time.

*Not a dictionary! It was mostly grammar afaik. The dictionary wasn't published until 1931

i love how catalan sounds but it has no business being this fucking difficult to learn 💀

The Eagle's dance in Solsona, Central Catalonia. Video: landscape_the_world for Turisme Solsona.

In the Catalan tradition, eagles are a majestic animal. They're the most solemn animal out of all the bestiary. Ever since the Middle Ages, Eagle dances have been performed in Catalonia's most noble occasions, for example when a king of Catalonia-Aragon was crowned.

If you follow this blog, you'll have seen how the bestiary (both legendary dragons and beasts and real animals like the eagle, owl, mule, etc., each town or city has their own) are part of traditional Catalan festivities like festa major and corpus. In these holidays, the bestiary are part of the dances that parade on the streets.

Though towns and cities have their own bestiary, not all are allowed to have an Eagle. Only those with the old title of "city" have one. The Eagle always wears a crown on its head and is carried by only one person. Its dance is slower and serious, which makes it stand out from other bestiary figures with more upbeat and cheerful dances.

Many eagles around the country are still used in the festivities, but very few preserve their oldest primordial use: paying homage to those considered worthy of it. Traditionally, the highest homage that a city could pay to a host was sending the Eagle to dance in front of them.

Solsona's Eagle is among the few that still keep this use. The Eagle represents the city authorities and has a strict protocol. It performs its solemn dance 3 times during festa major, on corpus, and also when a high authority visits Solsona and when a new bishop is sworn.

In the video above, you can see the Solsona Eagle performing. It has precise foot movements and ends in a bow.

(A couple of years ago we also posted the dance of Barcelona's Eagle. You can see the post clicking here.)

I hate writing essays that are out of my wheelhouse so much, like I have read enough of the literature to know that I will not be able to propose question in a way I feel is honest, but also I don't have time to read enough of the literature to actually form a good question

sometimes i feel like i have a bit of "what about meeeeeeeee" syndrome when it comes to aragonese culture. but our culture and traditions are already being erased as we speak so idk i think i should get over it

spinning the mental plates on chandrilan culture being this kind of. bizarro mix of utah rocky mountain mormonism and catalan 

i was looking for a word that had "aro" on it for the "I put the ace in space" frase but for, like, aro

and

i just found my new favourite word

Catalan woman, Spain, by Tortosa