Barruera

The festival in Barruera went into a period of decline in the 1960s, and was mainly kept alive by children. In the 1980s, however, it was revived, with a return to torchlight descents. There are two kinds of torch: the Ribagorçana falla, the most frequent, which is between 1.7 and 2 m long and made from four lengths of pine nailed to a hazel pole and bound together with wire; the other, the Barruera falla needs more time to prepare and is carried mainly by children. Falles are made about three or four weeks before the big day.  On the day of the festivities, the people who carry the torches go up to one of the beacons (the adults to the one on the Obac Xic). The fallaires take food with them, which they share. When it is completely dark, they light their torches from a number of different bonfires. Beforehand, children will have paraded with their falles through the town, running along the high street to the applause of the audience. Around eleven o’clock at night, three rockets are launched that trigger the procession down the mountain. The falles are carried to the village, forming a long line of fire that is visible from the village. When they reach the square, they are given an enthusiastic welcome and music is played. After they have processed several times round the village, they throw the torches onto a bonfire and then continue the party, with dancing until dawn.

More information : https://www.vallboi.cat/ca/falles
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/valldeboi/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/ValldeBoi
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ValldeBoi
Village Council : +34 973 69 40 00

To find out more
Riart, O. i Jordà S. (2012). “Catalogació de les falles al Pirineu. Descripció dels processos i elements fallaires”, Revista d’Etnologia de Catalunya, nº38, 162-173.
Riart, O. i Jordà, S. (2016). Les falles del Pirineu. L’Alta Ribagorça i el Pallars Sobirà. Lleida: Pagès editors.
Ricart, S. i Farré, X. (2012). Foc al faro, la festa de les falles al Pirineu. Taüll: AlpinArt.
Farré Sahún, X.; Ricart, S. (2016) Foc al faro. La fiesta de las fallas en el Pirineo. Zaragoza: Prames

Photos and videos

Barruera falles, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNr8lZ8amCo

Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GopGrlDalNE

Barruera falles. Chair of Intangible Heritage

Poster of the Barruera falles