Greece to Catalonia and Poland

Easter in Poland it is very important holiday.Polish people prepare to it very much.Send Easter card to family and friends. It stars on Maundy Thursday.On that time people are sad and serious.On Good Friday there is a special celebration in churches.People confess their sins to the priest.The figure of dead Christ is put into it and decorated with flowers and burning candles.On Holy Saturday people bring baskets of their Easter fare to church for a special blessing for all the different Easter foods. This typically Polish tradition dates back to the 14th century. Originally, only a baked lamb made of bread was blessed, but today the basket should contain at least seven kinds of food, each with its own symbolism. Bread, ensuring good fortune, is in Christianity first and foremost a symbol of Christ's body. Eggs stands for re-birth, life's victory over death. Salt is a life-giving mineral, once believed to keep away all evil. Smoked meat ensures health, fertility and abundance. Cheese represents friendship between man and nature. Horseradish is a symbol of strength and physical fitness. Cake (usually an Easter pound cake, round wheat cake and mazurek) was the last item to appear in the Easter basket and it symbolises skills and perfection. Tradition has it that the cake should be home-made. Nowadays some people also have chocolate and tropical fruits in their Easter baskets. This custom developed during the Communist period, when chocolate and imported fruit were rarities.In the morning of Easter Sunday people eat special Easter breakfast.On the tables there are Easter eggs,the lamb,wax chickens and żurek - traditional soup made from fermented rye with eggs, sausage and bacon;som salads with bread.On the next day is Easter Monday and there is also a very special custom.People sprinkle one another with water.It is a symbol of new life for people because Christ rose from the dead.
Wszeborowska Beata

Posted by Greece to Catalonia Student 1 at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The most colourful religious feast before Easter is Palm Sunday, celebrated in churches across the country to commemorate Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The main attribute associated with that day are the palms. Despite the name, they hardly resemble the real palm branches with which Jesus was greeted in the Holy City. Typically, they are bouquets of common box, dried flowers and willow twigs. Some regions are noted for particularly impressive palms, several metres high and decorated with coloured ribbons, dyed grasses, dried or artificial flowers. In the past it was believed that a palm blessed at a mass has special properties; for example, it can prevent disease. After the mass, people would hit one another with their palms, exchanging wishes of health, wealth and bumper crops.

Posted by Greece to Catalonia Student 1 at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is typical from Sant Boi. On the last Sunday of August, people from different areas of the city meet to walk together towards the hermitage at the top of a hill, called Sant Ramon.

Its privileged situation makes it a great viewpoint of the mountains and Montserrat and some times the island of Mallorca.

Once they arrived they have a party and they dance "sardanes", a typical Catalan dance where all hold hands in a circle.

You can see a lot of pictures here:
http://www.afondo.org/santboi/actuales/santboi0459.htm

Queti Noriega

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THE DEVILS OF SANT BOI

The devils with firecrackers

The devils are characters of a celebration of Sant Boi. They run in the streets of Sant Boi twice a year. It celebrates the “Festa Major”, which is the biggest celebration of the town, and the “Fira of Puríssima”, a traditional celebration of the agriculture and the livestock in this town.

They are a lot of people disguised as devil and with them, there are a lot of people with drums. Moreover, they go accompanied for giant dragons with plenty firecrackers hanging.

The devils walk on the streets of the town. The devils who have drums, play music, without stop. Some devils push the giants dragons for all streets meanwhile, the others devils fire firecrackers and fireworks. They want to scare the people. All people run to escape of firecrackers which explode for all around. The devils with drums play music together and the music is very loud. With the firecrackers and the drums, there are very, very loud noises in the street.

It is a celebration very funny and spectacular show. If you can come to Barcelona one day, you must try to go to Sant Boi and you will be able to see this great show.

This dragon is called Rufino
Ana Romera

Posted by Greece to Catalonia Student 1 at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)