6 Bizarre Corpus Christi Festivals
The Weirdest and Most Wonderful Catholic-Pagan Traditions Around Spain
In Spain there is no shortage of religious festivals, and the upcoming Corpus Christi festival is a much-anticipated event in many parts of the country. This Catholic tradition is observed 60 days after Easter, usually falling somewhere in May or June. It celebrates the Eucharist with processions, Mass, and musical bands. During Mass, the bread and wine become (or represent – depending on your interpretation) the body and blood of Christ, and the consecrated wafer is carried through the streets as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice to the world.
This being Spain, the ceremonies may be Catholic, but the traditions and celebrations have their roots in paganism and the summer solstice. Many of the fiestas represent renewal, rebirth, purification, and nature. Towns and villages across the country have developed some remarkably unusual fiestas over the centuries to celebrate Corpus Christi – here are just a few of them.
The Baby Jumping Festival of Castrillo de Murcia
The week-long festival ends with the exciting Salto del Colacho. This is a popular fiesta that dates back to the 1600s, and despite its unpopularity with the Catholic Church, shows no signs of disappearing anytime soon.
Locals hang white sheets from their balconies that represent purity in an effort to keep the Devil away. The Devil is embodied in a man dressed in colourful clothes and a mask who torments the public with a whip all while clicking castanets, who in turn, hurl insults at him.
All the babies born that year in the town are lined up on mattresses in the square beside the church. Our colourful Devil takes a run and jump, leaping over the bemused babies, landing safely on the other side of the mattress. The babies are sprinkled with rose petals and blessed by the local priest.
No one is sure of the origins of this bizarre activity, but it is said to cleanse the newborns of Original Sin. As yet, no babies have been injured in its 400-year history.
The Moss Men of Bejar
Declared of ‘National Tourist Interest’, this extraordinary tradition goes back to the 12th century when the Moors occupied the town. In order to approach the fortress of the Moors, the Christians camouflaged themselves in moss from the nearby rocks. Today, men (and much more recently, women) get wrapped up in a thick layer of moss and join in the processions through the streets of Bejar.
The dressing takes place in the cloisters of a convent and the moss, which can weigh up to 13kg, is tied onto the body with cord and string. During the fiestas the locals re-enact battles that occurred in the town between the Christians and the Moors.
There is a long waiting list to become a moss man and it is considered a great honour to carry on the tradition. Check out this video to get a better idea of the final result.
The Nature Maze of Zahara de la Sierra
Zahara de la Sierra is a picturesque village on the pueblos blancos (white villages) route in Cadiz, Andalusia. The remains of a keep from the Moorish castle perches on a rocky outcrop in the Sierra de Grazalema with the village nestled below. Every Corpus Christi, the villagers all work together to transform the town into a green maze.
With its pagan overtones of fertility and renewal, the labyrinthine streets are festooned with 1200 branches of eucalyptus and 1000 bundles of sedge grass. Preparations begin a few days before Corpus Christi Sunday with everyone cutting and collecting branches, herbs, flowers, and grass. Sunday morning at 7am sharp, the village becomes a hive of activity as the walls of houses, and the streets are covered in fresh greenery.
There are bonfires with the more agile jumping over the flames, and the burning of old articles to welcome in the new. At 12.00 there is Mass, followed by a procession, complete with music bands, and last but not least, a competition of whips made from sedge grass.
The Egg Dance of Catalunya
The l’ou com balla dates from the 15th century though its origins are unclear. It may be a metaphor for the ups and downs and unpredictability of life, or simply a medieval form of entertainment. But today you can watch eggs dance on a water jet in fountains decorated with flowers all over Catalunya. If the empty eggshell falls into the water, it rolls back down to the centre, and is once again lifted up into the gush. If the egg remains unbroken throughout the day, it is considered a good omen for the year ahead.
You can watch the dancing eggs in a ‘fountain route’ around the city of Barcelona, especially in the many church or convent cloisters.
Flower Carpets
This fragrant tradition dates from 1246 and can be seen in several places around Spain, most notably in:
La Orotava in Tenerife. (30 elaborate works combined with sand art.)
Ponteareas in Galicia
Sitges in Catalunya
The designs are first drawn with chalk, soil, or on paper stuck to the ground. Locals work through the night laying millions of coloured rose, carnation, and tulip petals of varying shades carefully down to create the masterpieces. They are surrounded by plastic tunnels and awnings to protect them from the wind and rain, finishing at 8am in time for the Mass.
After Mass, the procession accompanies the Eucharist through the streets, destroying the floral tapestries that have been painstakingly prepared. The act may seem rather brutal, but the flowers and work involved are a symbol of being in service to something greater, as summed up in John 12:24: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
The Patum Festival of Berga
The Patum festival takes its name from the sound of the Tabal (big drum) as it is beaten “pa-tum, pa-tum” by the Tabaler. The Tabaler, or Town Crier, heralds in the festival on the eve of Corpus Christi Thursday, continuing a tradition that began 600 years ago. During the Middle Ages, the event started out as a series of short simple plays that explained the scriptures and taught morals to an illiterate public.
But over the centuries, the plays became increasingly more dramatic than instructive. Today, the San Pere Square is the centre of exciting re-enactments and dances with mystical and symbolic figures such as giants, fire-breathing dragons, devils, angels, and dwarves - and of course, fireworks. Bands play folkloric music till 3.00 in the morning.