Bagà

Together with the neighboring town of Sant Julià de Cerdanyola, the Bagà festival is one of the only two to be celebrated around the time of the winter solstice, on Christmas Eve. Revived in a new form in 2001, the time of year is celebrated with a torchlight descent. The festival has been celebrated without interruption for hundreds of years, but from 2001 it was reformulated by reversing  the descent of falles or torches, which had already been celebrated previously  but had been lost, and giving rise to the current format of the party.

Prepared weeks in advance, the torches are made from a grass called Cephalaria leucantha, which is collected from the forest and is believed to have purifying powers.  The grass is braided into a brand that is between one and four meters long and 15 to 30 centimeters thick. At six ‘o’ clock in the evening, the fallaires leave the village with their faies for the beacon where the fire is lit as the sun goes down. When they come down to the village, the mayor gives a scarf to each of the carriers of the falles, to protect them from sparks, and the fire is distributed to those who that have not climbed the mountain. The brands are taken through the town along the main street to the Plaça Porxada, where the party continues. When the faies have burned almost to the end, they are thrown onto small bonfires, which some people jump over. In the square, people sing: “Fia-faia, fia-faia, Our Lord was born on the straw (paia)”, and dancers form circles for traditional dances. The church bells ring during the burning of the torches.  Finally, the embers of the fires are used to make toast, which is spread with quince aioli.

Organized by : https://www.baga.cat/turisme/festes-i-fires/fia-faia.html
Instagram : #fiafaia
Village Council : +34 938 244 013

To find out more
Pedrals, X. (2007). Ancestral, màgica, única. Barcelona: Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat.
Pedrals, X. i Escobet, M. (2017). Fia-faia. La festa de falles nadalenca. Bagà-St. Julià de Cerdanyola: Farrell

Photos and videos

Television of Berguedà 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUpQ0Y96iZ8&t=638s&ab_channel=Televisi%C3%B3delBergued%C3%A0

Television of Berguedà 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAS9K4MKt_c

Fia faia workshop. Bagà Village hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBZf6pUhh_I

Bagà Village hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pKQIkmSJ-o&t=36s