Two Beastly Festivals: of foc i fum/fire and smoke, and of carn i ossos/flesh and bone

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
—Dante (Inferno III:9)

Beasts of fire and smoke (foc i fum): Aplec dels Dracs
The figure of the drac (dragon) has appeared as the incarnation of evil in the festivals of a number of Catalan towns since the middle ages. In a recent aplec or gathering, dracs from various communities came to Vilanova i la Geltrú, accompanied by other infernal beings including the ram (boc), demon (dimoni) and even a swarm of wasp-like fil.loxera, the pest that annihilated French and Spanish grape vines in the 1860s.

As the procession surged in spurts down the dark narrow street by the church of San Antoni, the dimonis affixed petards to the beasts, then ignited them, filling the night with sparks, explosions and clouds of smoke. A bateria of drummers, some accompanied by the peircing insistence of the reed instrument, the gralla, pounded deafeningly behind each hellish beast adding to the thick atmosphere of pandemonium. I dashed up side streets with everyone else as the dracs passed to avoid being scorched.

According to festival president Ramon Soler Hilari:

...this festa is part of Catalunya's culture of fire ... the animals are spirits of purgatory [who convert] envy, hate, betrayal, bad turns, sadness, pain, war, and discord into ashes with the infernal fire of savage beasts. While they rage, the angels, white lights, other beings and spirits and above all Sant Antoni keep vigil so that the end is filled with happiness.

This red atmosphere filled with madness will purify all of our souls and those of our ancestors.

boc




fil.loxera














The last worm slithers away


San Jordi, patron saint of Cataluyna, commits dracocide
(Portada del Sant Iu, Catedral de Barcelona)


Beasts of flesh and bone (carn i ossos): els Tres Tombs



On the day of Sant Antoni, farmers, cheese makers, brewers, bakers, vintners and country squires bring their animals (often pulling the goods that their livelihood depends on) to the capital town, to be blessed by the bishop. The procession is called els Tres Tombs, the three turns.

I've abstracted a few remarks from a longer article about Sant Antoni by local writer Joan Grau:

Sant Antoni is barbut, pelut, primitiu, i vestit amb pells "bearded, hairy, primitive, and clad in animal skins." His holiday is closely related to the agrarian world and celebrates the passage of nature from a state of Winter/death to one of Spring/life. This is the key moment in the agricultural cycle to propitiate fertility and abundance. In this manner, Sant Antoni is the protector of animals and the patron of domestic and working animals who ensures their health and fertility. Sant Antoni appears in the period of carnaval when the Roman's celebrated Lupercalia, a feast dedicated to the fecundity and protection of animals and his holiday is considered the start of the carnaval season.

In popular tradition, Sant Antoni is also closely related to the demons who appear in carnaval [and with the dracs who appeared a few days before]. These are not the devils and demons of hell but are rather identified with mythical nature-spirits, who are not evil but whose actions can be dangerous. These, like fire can be beneficial, as with purifying flames that yet have the power to devastate. Although in the pedagogy of the Church, these spirits are vanquished by the saint, we have to understand that Sant Antoni is not their enemy, but rather one whose hand directed these djinni of nature to propitiate the agrarian cycle.

These images show the procession into town of over 500 horses and other beasts along with members of their companion species (that would be humans) and their cargo. Toward the end you'll see the bishop flicking holy water on the animals from a dais with the other grandees. Although we were encouraged to do so we didn't bring our cats. They hate water and they don't seem to be very religious anyway. At the very end you'll see the last of the procession heading out of town.

Tres Tombs is another sensory experience that the photos can only partly convey. The festival is very popular so the streets were thronged with crowds. I had a hard time getting through with a stroller. There were many sounds echoing in the narrow streets: horses neighing, the clip clop of hooves, jingling bells, the yells of carters "oui!" (hey) "poc a poc!" (slowly) and people greeting their country friends from balconies or sidewalks, "adieu!" The rich smell of horse manure filled the air, and there was hilarity between the carters when one of them would (inevitably) step in it.