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sábado, 21 de junio de 2008
viernes, 20 de junio de 2008
Happy Summer Holidays
(Click here to see the presentation)For wonderful vacations come to Catalunya / Spain
We are waiting for you!!!
We are waiting for you!!!
Boadella
We could listen to Please don't stop the Music by Rihanna
Products of Catalonia
The OLIVE OIL in CATALONIAThe OLIVE OIL is a basic element in the Catalan kitchen: The Catalan oil has well gained the fame by its low acidity and in which it emphasizes obtained of the olive "ARBERQUINA" (small, round olive and polishes). Another variety of interesting olive is the olive "PERELLONA".
VEGETABLES and FRUITS of CATALONIA
The channels derived from the rivers, the deltaicas zones and the Catalan phreatic waters favor their culture. They are appreciable products of orchard: garlic, the onion and the tomato. All of them fundamental ones like ingredients of many Catalan plates.
The SOFRITO, the sauce mother of the Catalan kitchen make use of three products of orchards before mentioned. The onion, garlic and the tomato; all rehogado it to olive oil untimed fire.
Flavorful "ESCALIVADA" one is made up of onion, garlic, tomato, pepper, eggplant; all roasted it on live coals.
Barroca
"SAMFAINA" (Catalan chicken broth species) it consists of the union of the escalivada one with marrow. "faves (habas) to catalana" is emblematic plate of the Catalan kitchen;. Catalonia is a country of lovers and finders (boletaires) of MUSHROOMS.Also they comprise of the most remote culinaria tradition of Catalonia an ample set of own aromatic grass of the Mediterranean vegetation such as: - the thyme, - the romero, - the ajedrea, - hinojo, - the oregano, - the parsley, - the laurel, - the mint, - I comine, - the anise... etc
CATALAN INLAYS
The Catalan INLAYS (pig meat) are of excellent quality. Its presentation takes care of different forms:
- the products (bacon, jamón, garlic sausage, back...) are conserved in salt.- the pricked meat of different parts from the body of the pig is conserved with spices and salt within the guts of the pig. Crude inlay to cook (fried or to the live coal) as they are the sausages and the BUTIFARRAS. (One of the most typical plates of the Catalan kitchen is the WHITE STRING BEANS with BUTIFARRA).
- the DRY INLAYS like the LLONGANISSA, the FUET, BACK EMBUCHADO. - One releases series of COOKED INLAYS as they are the BUTIFARRA of LANGUAGE, LIVER, EGG etc...
- the SEMICONSERVAS INLAYS like the WHITE BUTIFARRA (without blood) or the BLACK BUTIFARRA (with blood, or without onion).
The SALT MEATS in Catalonia
- "ARENGADA" it consists of helmet sardines, pressed and conserved in salt.
- the CODFISH at the present time is to manjar expensive and prestigious that appears in diverse plates: - "ESQUEIXADA", salad with desalted and crumbled crude codfish.
- the CODFISH to the LLAUMA - the roasted CODFISH
- Another product of great acceptance is the brine ANCHOVIES.
EMBLEMATIC PLATES of the CATALAN KITCHEN
CATALAN TRADITIONAL PLATES
- the ESCUDELLA I CARN D´OLLA that consists of a vegetable broth with meat of pig, calf and hen.- BREAD with TOMATO, slice of BREAD PAYÉS, sometimes toasted, restregada with the pulp of the tomato and flavored with oil and salt. The accompanied bread or with jamón, inlay or tortilla eat only.
- the RECAPTE COCAINE is a very thin mass of horneada bread with onion, inserted pepper and other vegetables as well as, sardines of helmet etc...
Delta del Llobregat
It is a modern, innovative, sustainable and environmentally eloquent building, well integrated in its environment.
Newly built, it is free from architectural barriers and it has maximum category. It is located on the Delta del Llobregat, very close to one of Catalonia’s most interesting natural spaces.
Newly built, it is free from architectural barriers and it has maximum category. It is located on the Delta del Llobregat, very close to one of Catalonia’s most interesting natural spaces.
Its privileged and well communicated situation, – 10 minutes away from the beach and 20 minutes from Gaudís Temple of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, for instance — makes it an ideal space to host people and organizations. 
Fiestas
New Year's Day - 1 of Janary
The Three Wish Men - 6 of Janary
Good Friday -Variable Day
Easter Sunday - Variable Day
Sant John's Day - 24 of June
Corpus Christi - Mid June
Columbus Day - 12 of October
All Saints Day - 1 of November
Constitution Day - 6 of December
Christmas Day - 25 of December
New Year eve - 31 of December
The Three Wish Men - 6 of Janary
Good Friday -Variable Day
Easter Sunday - Variable Day
Sant John's Day - 24 of June
Corpus Christi - Mid June
Columbus Day - 12 of October
All Saints Day - 1 of November
Constitution Day - 6 of December
Christmas Day - 25 of December
New Year eve - 31 of December
The Botanical Garden of BARCELONA
The Botanical Garden of Barcelona is a municipal institution at the service of society. The Garden conserves collections of Mediterranean plants from all over the world. The mission entrusted to this institution includes particularly that of conserving and documenting Catalonia’s natural heritage.The Garden also works to promote a botanical and naturalist culture, and to foster knowledge through its activities, which are adapted to groups of all kinds, from amateurs to experts, as well as for schools. This promotional work helps to increase the public’s knowledge of nature and its awareness of the need to conserve it.
On the scientific side, the Garden is supported by the Botanical Institute of Barcelona, a mixed centre (jointly run by Barcelona City Council and the CSIC) devoted to botanical research. This prestigious centre has an important library and one of the largest herbariums in Catalonia.
The fact that the Botanical Garden is a Mediterranean garden
makes it a unique facility for experimenting with plants new to the Mediterranean climate with a view to their later introduction into gardening. With this aim in mind, an agreement was formalised in 2000 between Barcelona City Council Institute of Culture and the Association of Municipalities of Barcelona Metropolitan Area (Mancomunidad of Municipios del Área Metropolitana of Barcelona, http://www.amb.es/) to maintain the Garden and enable the centre to experiment with new plants and methods to promote sustainable gardening. The results take the form of new ideas that are passed on to the other parks in Barcelona Metropolitan Area.
martes, 15 de abril de 2008
Barcelona Ciutadella Parc
Parc de la Ciutadella
The Parc de la Ciutadella is Barcelona's most central park. The park includes a zoo, a lake, a large fountain and several museums. The Catalan Parliament is seated at a building in the center of the park.
The Citadel
In 1714, after a 13 month long siege, Barcelona fell to the army of Philips V during the war of the Spanish Succession. In order to keep firm control over Barcelona, King Philips V built the largest fortress in Europe, a star-shaped citadel or 'Ciutadella'. A large part of the the Ribera district was demolished for this fortress. Only 30 years later was the neighborhood rebuilt at another location as the 'Barceloneta'.
Ciutadella Demolishment
The much-hated symbol of central government was demolished between 1869 and 1878 after the Catalan general Prim handed over the citadel to the city. Only three buildings survived: the chapel, the Governor's palace and the arsenal, now home to the Catalan Parliament.
A New Park
Already in 1872 works to convert the area into a central city park had started, but it progressed slowly. In 1885 the park was designated as the site of the 1888 Universal Exhibition, giving a boost to the development of the park. Many buildings were constructed, several of which have survived. The 'Castel dels Tres Dragons' is the most notable of these. It is built as a medieval castle which served as a restaurant during the 1888 exhibition. It is now home to a museum, the Museo de Zoologia.
Some Attractions
Besides museums, the 30ha / 74acre large park is home to the Parc Zoologic, the Barcelona Zoo. The most famous of its 7000 animals was the albino gorilla, 'Floret de Neu'. Unfortunately, he died in 2004.
The park also features a small lake, a popular spot where you can hire a rowing boat.
There are several statues in the park, the ones that stands out most are a large stone mammoth and a metallic cat. A more conventional statue commemorates General Prim, who made the demolition of the citadel possible.
The Cascada
At the northern corner of the park is the Cascada, a triumphal arch with waterfall and fountain built for the 1888 Universal exhibition. The baroque construction designed by Josep Fontsère, responsible for the conversion of the citadel site into a park, took six years to complete. The design was loosely based on the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The architect was assisted by Antoni Gaudí, at the time still a student.
The Parc de la Ciutadella is Barcelona's most central park. The park includes a zoo, a lake, a large fountain and several museums. The Catalan Parliament is seated at a building in the center of the park.
The Citadel
In 1714, after a 13 month long siege, Barcelona fell to the army of Philips V during the war of the Spanish Succession. In order to keep firm control over Barcelona, King Philips V built the largest fortress in Europe, a star-shaped citadel or 'Ciutadella'. A large part of the the Ribera district was demolished for this fortress. Only 30 years later was the neighborhood rebuilt at another location as the 'Barceloneta'.
Ciutadella Demolishment
The much-hated symbol of central government was demolished between 1869 and 1878 after the Catalan general Prim handed over the citadel to the city. Only three buildings survived: the chapel, the Governor's palace and the arsenal, now home to the Catalan Parliament.
A New Park
Already in 1872 works to convert the area into a central city park had started, but it progressed slowly. In 1885 the park was designated as the site of the 1888 Universal Exhibition, giving a boost to the development of the park. Many buildings were constructed, several of which have survived. The 'Castel dels Tres Dragons' is the most notable of these. It is built as a medieval castle which served as a restaurant during the 1888 exhibition. It is now home to a museum, the Museo de Zoologia.
Some Attractions
Besides museums, the 30ha / 74acre large park is home to the Parc Zoologic, the Barcelona Zoo. The most famous of its 7000 animals was the albino gorilla, 'Floret de Neu'. Unfortunately, he died in 2004.
The park also features a small lake, a popular spot where you can hire a rowing boat.
There are several statues in the park, the ones that stands out most are a large stone mammoth and a metallic cat. A more conventional statue commemorates General Prim, who made the demolition of the citadel possible.
The Cascada
At the northern corner of the park is the Cascada, a triumphal arch with waterfall and fountain built for the 1888 Universal exhibition. The baroque construction designed by Josep Fontsère, responsible for the conversion of the citadel site into a park, took six years to complete. The design was loosely based on the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The architect was assisted by Antoni Gaudí, at the time still a student.
GARDEN OF MONTJUÏC in Barcelona
This headland park to the southwest of the city welcomes more than 15 million visitors a year to its museums, concert arenas, sports centers, and gardens (only New York City's Central Park gets more foot traffic). Mossén Costa i Llobera is the best collection of its kind in Europe—a secret garden with a sea view, planted with more than 800 exotic species of cacti (Carretera de Miramar 1; 34-93-424-3809; www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/pa_llobera.htm).
The Jardí Botànic, with its futuristic steel banks and hardwood walkways, was inaugurated in 1999. The planting pulls together vegetation from Mediterranean-like climates around the world, such as rapistrum rugosum—Texan bastard cabbage (34-93-289-0611; www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/pa_botanic.htm). Full maturation is still a ways off, but for keen gardeners and botanists, it's a fascinating amble.
PARK GÜELL
The best and most famous example of Art Nouveau landscape-architecture has been designated a UNESO World Heritage Site. Count Eusebi Guell, a wealthy businessman, conceived the project as infrastructure for a garden suburb on what Gaudi described as 'the treeless mountain'.
The only parts to be completed, before worked stopped in 1914 and it became a public park in 1922, were a grand entrance, two houses, 3km of paths, a marvellous terrace and the hippostyle hall, planned as an underground market. Guell's friend, Antonio Gaudi, was the designer. Both men intended that the project would express the spirit of Catalonia as a potentially independent nation.
The park is very popular and has an obscure symbolic content. Shapes and colours were inspired by natural forms which Gaudi, a devout catholic, saw as instances of divine craftsmanship. The park is set into the hills overlooking Barcelona. Serpentine terraces, seats, galleries and acrades run with the mountainside. They are decorated with polychrome mosaics of broken stone, ceramic pots and old tiles. The bright colours might remind one of azuelejo. The curved terraces might remind one of Duncombe, the path layout of Buttes Chaumont. But the design has an energetic brilliance which belongs more completely to the twentieth century than any other public park made in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century.
Barcelona Gardens
PARK GÜELL
GAUDI
The best and most famous example of Art Nouveau landscape-architecture has been designated a UNESO World Heritage Site. Count Eusebi Guell, a wealthy businessman, conceived the project as infrastructure for a garden suburb on what Gaudi described as 'the treeless mountain'. The only parts to be completed, before worked stopped in 1914 and it became a public park in 1922, were a grand entrance, two houses, 3km of paths, a marvellous terrace and the hippostyle hall, planned as an underground market. Guell's friend, Antonio Gaudi, was the designer. Both men intended that the project would express the spirit of Catalonia as a potentially independent nation. The park is very popular and has an obscure symbolic content. Shapes and colours were inspired by natural forms which Gaudi, a devout catholic, saw as instances of divine craftsmanship. The park is set into the hills overlooking Barcelona. Serpentine terraces, seats, galleries and acrades run with the mountainside. They are decorated with polychrome mosaics of broken stone, ceramic pots and old tiles. The bright colours might remind one of azuelejo. The curved terraces might remind one of Duncombe, the path layout of Buttes Chaumont. But the design has an energetic brilliance which belongs more completely to the twentieth century than any other public park made in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century.
GAUDI
The best and most famous example of Art Nouveau landscape-architecture has been designated a UNESO World Heritage Site. Count Eusebi Guell, a wealthy businessman, conceived the project as infrastructure for a garden suburb on what Gaudi described as 'the treeless mountain'. The only parts to be completed, before worked stopped in 1914 and it became a public park in 1922, were a grand entrance, two houses, 3km of paths, a marvellous terrace and the hippostyle hall, planned as an underground market. Guell's friend, Antonio Gaudi, was the designer. Both men intended that the project would express the spirit of Catalonia as a potentially independent nation. The park is very popular and has an obscure symbolic content. Shapes and colours were inspired by natural forms which Gaudi, a devout catholic, saw as instances of divine craftsmanship. The park is set into the hills overlooking Barcelona. Serpentine terraces, seats, galleries and acrades run with the mountainside. They are decorated with polychrome mosaics of broken stone, ceramic pots and old tiles. The bright colours might remind one of azuelejo. The curved terraces might remind one of Duncombe, the path layout of Buttes Chaumont. But the design has an energetic brilliance which belongs more completely to the twentieth century than any other public park made in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century.
jueves, 10 de abril de 2008
La Diada
On September 11, catalonia commemorates the 1714 Siege of Barcelona defeat during the War of the Spanish succession. As a punishment for their support to the claim oh Habsburg Archduke Charles to the throne of Spain, institutions and rights of the territories of the crown of Catalonia and Aragon werw abolished by the victorious absolutist Bourbon mornachy.
In 1980 the restored Generalitat de Catalunya (autonomous governement of Catalonia), as its firs public act proclaimed 11 September La Diada, the Catalan National holiday.
Organitations and political parties traditionally lay floral offerings the monuments of Rafael Casanova and General Moragues for their fight against the Borboun army.
Catalan nationalists also meet in the Fossar de les Moreres, where they and celebration events many citizens wave either senyeres or estelades and hang them on their balconies.
Catalunya triomfant, Catalonia triumphanttornarà a ser rica i plena. Will once again be rich and bountiful,Endarrera aquesta gent Drive them back, these peopletan ufana i tan superba. So conceited and so arrogant.
Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Defensors de la terra! Defenders of the land!Bon cop de falç! A good blow with the sickle!
Ara és hora, segadors. Now is the time, reapers,Ara és hora d'estar alerta. Now is the time to be alert.Per quan vingui un altre juny For when another June comes,esmolem ben bé les eines. Let us sharpen our tools well.
Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Defensors de la terra! Defenders of the land!Bon cop de falç! A good blow with the sickle!
Que tremoli l'enemic Let the enemy trembleen veient la nostra ensenya. On seeing our banner.Com fem caure espigues d'or, Just as we cut down golden stalks of wheat,quan convé seguem cadenes. When the time is right, we can hack chains.
Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Defensors de la terra! Defenders of the land!Bon cop de falç! A good blow with the sickle!
In 1980 the restored Generalitat de Catalunya (autonomous governement of Catalonia), as its firs public act proclaimed 11 September La Diada, the Catalan National holiday.
Organitations and political parties traditionally lay floral offerings the monuments of Rafael Casanova and General Moragues for their fight against the Borboun army.
Catalan nationalists also meet in the Fossar de les Moreres, where they and celebration events many citizens wave either senyeres or estelades and hang them on their balconies.
Catalunya triomfant, Catalonia triumphanttornarà a ser rica i plena. Will once again be rich and bountiful,Endarrera aquesta gent Drive them back, these peopletan ufana i tan superba. So conceited and so arrogant.
Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Defensors de la terra! Defenders of the land!Bon cop de falç! A good blow with the sickle!
Ara és hora, segadors. Now is the time, reapers,Ara és hora d'estar alerta. Now is the time to be alert.Per quan vingui un altre juny For when another June comes,esmolem ben bé les eines. Let us sharpen our tools well.
Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Defensors de la terra! Defenders of the land!Bon cop de falç! A good blow with the sickle!
Que tremoli l'enemic Let the enemy trembleen veient la nostra ensenya. On seeing our banner.Com fem caure espigues d'or, Just as we cut down golden stalks of wheat,quan convé seguem cadenes. When the time is right, we can hack chains.
Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Bon cop de falç, A good blow with the sickle,Defensors de la terra! Defenders of the land!Bon cop de falç! A good blow with the sickle!
jueves, 27 de marzo de 2008
TOP MUSIC IN SPAIN!
1º Nelly Furtado - "Say it right"
"Loose"
2º Rihanna - "Don't stop the music"
(”Good girl gone bad”)
3º Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"
(”Back to black”)
4º Chambao - “Papeles mojados”
(”Con otro aire”)
5º Melocos - “Cuando me vaya”
(”Melocos”)
6º Pereza - “Estrella polar”
(”Aproximaciones”)
7º Estopa - “Cuando amanece”
(“Allenrock”)
8º Alicia Keys - “No one”
(”As I am”)
9º Despistaos - “Cada dos minutos”
(”Vivir al revés”)
10º Miguel Bosé & Bimba Bosé - “Como un lobo"
(”Papito”)
11º Leona Lewis “Bleeding love”
(”Spirit”)
12º Juanes - “Me enamora”
(”La vida es un ratico”)
13º El Canto del Loco - “Eres tonto!!”
(”Personas”)
14º Tokio Hotel - “Monsoon”
(”Scream”)
15º James Blunt - “1973”
(”All the lost souls”)
16º Maná - “Ojalá pudiera borrarte”
(”Amar es combatir (Edición Especial Limitada)”)
17º Kylie Minogue - “In my arms”
(”X”)
18º Simple Plan - “When i’m gone”
(“Simple Plan”)
19º Chenoa - “Todo irá bien”
(”Absurda cenicienta”)
20º Angy - “Sola en el silencio”
(“Angy”)
21º Dover - “Serenade07“
22º Juanes - “Gotas de agua dulce”
(”La vida es un ratico”)
23º Santana "Into the night - (Chad Kroeger)"
("Ultimate Santana")
24º Merche - “Cal y arena”
(”Cal y arena”)
25º M-Clan - “Roto por dentro“
26º La 5ª Estación - “Sueños rotos”
(”El mundo se equivoca”)
27º Belinda - “Bella traición”
(”Utopía”)
28º Jarabe de Palo & La Mari - “Déjame vivir"
(”Adelantando”)
29º One Republic - “Apologize“
30º Conchita - “Puede ser”
(”Nada más”)
31º Belanova - “Baila mi corazón“
32º Míster Cometa - “Me gustaría“
33º Chenoa - “El bolsillo del revés”
(”Absurda cenicienta”)
34º Eros Ramazzotti - “Fuego en el fuego”
(”E2″)
35º Nek - “Para ti sería (ESDM)”
(”En el cuarto 26″)
36º R.E.M. - “Supernatural Superserious”
(”Acelerate”)
37º Pastora - “Grandes despedidas”
(”Circuitos de lujo”)
38º Motel - “Y te vas“
39º Efecto Mariposa - “¿Quién?”
(“Vivo en vivo”)
40º Mika “Relax - (Take it easy)”
(”Life in cartoon motion”)
"Loose"
2º Rihanna - "Don't stop the music"
(”Good girl gone bad”)
3º Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"
(”Back to black”)
4º Chambao - “Papeles mojados”
(”Con otro aire”)
5º Melocos - “Cuando me vaya”
(”Melocos”)
6º Pereza - “Estrella polar”
(”Aproximaciones”)
7º Estopa - “Cuando amanece”
(“Allenrock”)
8º Alicia Keys - “No one”
(”As I am”)
9º Despistaos - “Cada dos minutos”
(”Vivir al revés”)
10º Miguel Bosé & Bimba Bosé - “Como un lobo"
(”Papito”)
11º Leona Lewis “Bleeding love”
(”Spirit”)
12º Juanes - “Me enamora”
(”La vida es un ratico”)
13º El Canto del Loco - “Eres tonto!!”
(”Personas”)
14º Tokio Hotel - “Monsoon”
(”Scream”)
15º James Blunt - “1973”
(”All the lost souls”)
16º Maná - “Ojalá pudiera borrarte”
(”Amar es combatir (Edición Especial Limitada)”)
17º Kylie Minogue - “In my arms”
(”X”)
18º Simple Plan - “When i’m gone”
(“Simple Plan”)
19º Chenoa - “Todo irá bien”
(”Absurda cenicienta”)
20º Angy - “Sola en el silencio”
(“Angy”)
21º Dover - “Serenade07“
22º Juanes - “Gotas de agua dulce”
(”La vida es un ratico”)
23º Santana "Into the night - (Chad Kroeger)"
("Ultimate Santana")
24º Merche - “Cal y arena”
(”Cal y arena”)
25º M-Clan - “Roto por dentro“
26º La 5ª Estación - “Sueños rotos”
(”El mundo se equivoca”)
27º Belinda - “Bella traición”
(”Utopía”)
28º Jarabe de Palo & La Mari - “Déjame vivir"
(”Adelantando”)
29º One Republic - “Apologize“
30º Conchita - “Puede ser”
(”Nada más”)
31º Belanova - “Baila mi corazón“
32º Míster Cometa - “Me gustaría“
33º Chenoa - “El bolsillo del revés”
(”Absurda cenicienta”)
34º Eros Ramazzotti - “Fuego en el fuego”
(”E2″)
35º Nek - “Para ti sería (ESDM)”
(”En el cuarto 26″)
36º R.E.M. - “Supernatural Superserious”
(”Acelerate”)
37º Pastora - “Grandes despedidas”
(”Circuitos de lujo”)
38º Motel - “Y te vas“
39º Efecto Mariposa - “¿Quién?”
(“Vivo en vivo”)
40º Mika “Relax - (Take it easy)”
(”Life in cartoon motion”)
Catalan personalities
Singers
Enrique Granados
He was born in Lleida (in Spanish Lérida), Catalonia (Spain). As a young man he studied piano in Barcelona, where his teachers included Francisco Jurnet and Joan Baptista Pujol. In 1887 he went to Paris to study with De Beriot and, most importantly, Felipe Pedrell. He returned to Barcelona in 1889. His first successes were at the end of the 1890s, with the zarzuela Maria del Carmen, which earned the attention of King Alfonso XIII.
In 1911 Granados premiered his suite for piano Goyescas, which became his most famous work. It is a set of six pieces based on paintings of Goya. Such was the success of this work that he was encouraged to expand it; he wrote an opera based on the subject in 1914, but unfortunately the outbreak of World War I forced the European premiere to be canceled. It was performed for the first time in New York City on January 28, 1916, and was very well received. Shortly afterward he was invited to perform a piano recital for President Woodrow Wilson. Prior to leaving New York Granados also made live-recording player piano music rolls for the New-York-based Aeolian Company's "Duo-Art" system all of which survive today and can be heard - his very last recordings.
Unfortunately the delay incurred by accepting the recital invitation caused him to miss his boat back to Spain. Instead, he took a ship to England, where he boarded the passenger ferry Sussex for Dieppe, France. On the way across the English Channel, the Sussex was torpedoed by a German U-boat, as part of the German unrestricted submarine warfare policy during World War I. In a failed attempt to save his wife Amparo, whom he saw flailing in the water some distance away, Granados jumped out of his lifeboat, and drowned. Ironically, he had a morbid fear of water for his entire life, and he was returning from his first-ever series of ocean voyages.
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz i Pascual (May 29, 1860 – May 18, 1909) was a Spanish pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music.
Born in Camprodon, Catalonia (Spain), Albéniz was a child prodigy who first performed at the age of four. At age seven he passed the entrance examination for piano at the Paris Conservatoire, but he was refused admission because he took out a ball from his pocket and broke a glass window while playing with it. By age fifteen, he had already given concerts worldwide. After a short stay at the Leipzig Conservatory, in 1876 he went to study in Brussels. In 1880, he went to Budapest to study with Franz Liszt, only to find out that Liszt was in Weimar, Germany.
In 1883, he met the teacher and composer Felipe Pedrell, who inspired him to write Spanish music such as the Suite Española, Op. 47. The fifth movement of that suite, called Asturias (Leyenda), is probably most famous these days as part of the classical guitar repertoire, even though it was originally composed for piano and only later transcribed to guitar. Many of his other compositions were also transcribed to guitar, notably by Francisco Tárrega — Albéniz once declared that he preferred Tárrega's guitar transcriptions to his original piano works.
During the 1890s Albéniz lived in London and Paris and wrote mainly theatrical works. In 1900 he started to suffer from Bright's disease and returned to writing piano music. Between 1905 and 1909 he composed his most famous work, Iberia (1908), a suite of twelve piano "impressions". His orchestral works include Spanish Rhapsody (1887) and Catalonia (1899).
In 1883, the composer married his student Rosina Jordana. They had three children, Blanca (who died in 1886), Laura (a painter), and Alfonso (who played for Real Madrid in the early 1900s before embarking on a career as a diplomat). Albéniz died on 18th May 1909 at age 48 in Cambo-les-Bains and is buried in the Cementiri del Sudoest, Barcelona. Cécilia Sarkozy, the former wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is the great-granddaughter of Isaac Albéniz.
Painters
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà (April 20, 1893 – December 25, 1983) was a Catalan (Spanish) painter, sculptor, and ceramist born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain to the family of a goldsmith and watchmaker. His work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride. In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods and his desire to "kill", "murder", or "rape" them in favor of more contemporary means of expression
In 1926, he collaborated with Max Ernst on designs for Sergei Diaghilev. With Miró's help, Ernst pioneered the technique of grattage, in which he troweled pigment onto his canvases. Miró married Pilar Juncosa in Palma de Mallorca on October 12, 1929; their daughter Dolores was born July 17, 1931. Shuzo Takiguchi published the first monograph on Miró in 1940. In 1959, André Breton asked Miró to represent Spain in The Homage to Surrealism exhibition together with works by Enrique Tábara, Salvador Dalí, and Eugenio Granell.
Miró dabbled in architecture when he designed the Maeght Foundation museum in Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, France, which was completed in 1964.[verification needed]
Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali, the great master of surrealism holds a great appeal for visitors to the Costa Brava. Figueres, Cadaques - Portlligat and Pubol form the three corners of Salvador Dali's Triangle.Salvador Dali Domenech (1904 – 1989), was a Catalan-Spanish artist who became one of the most important painters of the 20th century. A skilled draftsman, he is best known for his surrealist work identified by its striking, bizarre, dreamlike images. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. In addition to painting, his artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, photography, and an Academy Award–winning short cartoon, "Destino," on which he collaborated with Walt Disney; it was released posthumously in 2003.An artist of great imagination, Dali had an affinity for doing unusual things to draw attention to himself. This sometimes irked those who loved his art as much as it annoyed his critics, since his eccentric manner sometimes drew more public attention than his artwork.
Dali was born on May 11, 1904, at 8.45 am local time in the town of Figueres, in the Emporda region close to the French border in Catalonia, Spain. His father, Salvador Dali i Cusi, was a middle-class lawyer and notary. Dali's father, a strict disciplinarian, was tempered by his wife, Felipa Domenech Ferres, who encouraged her son's artistic endeavors. Dali had an older brother, also named Salvador, who died of meningitis prior to the artist's birth. When he was five, Dali was taken to his brother's grave and told by his parents that he was his brother reincarnated. "Dali came to believe that he was the reincarnation of this older brother." Dali also had a sister, Ana María, who was three years his junior. "In 1949 his sister, Ana Maria, published a book about her brother, Dali As Seen By His Sister,"
Picasso
125 years back the most important artist of century XX was born in Malaga, Pablo Picasso. In 1895 he is transferred to Barcelona with his family, circumstance that puts the sketcher, painter and Spanish escultor in contact with the artistic scope of vanguards presents/displays in the Condal City of century principles. As of this moment, an intimate relation with one of the cities begins more and more that greater influence have exerted on the artistic race of the genius.
writers
Salvador Espriu
Espiru was born in Santa Coloma de Farners, Catalonia. He was the son of an attorney. His childhood was divided between his home town, Barcelona, and Arenys de Mar, a village on the Maresme coast. At the age of sixteen, he published his first book, Israel, written in the Spanish language. In 1930 he entered the University of Barcelona, where he studied law and ancient history. While traveling (1933) to Egypt, Greece and Palestine, he became acquainted with the countries that originated the great classical myths, and which would be so influential in his work.
During the Spanish civil war he was mobilised and served in military accounting.
Translated into several languages, Espriu's work has obtained international recognition, most notably the Montaigne prize (1971). He was also given the Award of Honour of Catalan Letters (1972), the Ignasi Iglesias prize (1980), the City of Barcelona Prize (1982) and the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya (1982). He was awarded honorary doctor's degrees by the universities of Toulouse and Barcelona. He died in Barcelona in 1985, and was buried in the Arenys de Mar cemetery, which gives name to his poem Cementiri de Sinera.
Josep Pla
Josep Pla i Casadevall (March 8, 1897, Palafrugell, Girona - April 23, 1981, Llofriu, Girona) was a journalist and a popular author. As a journalist he worked in France, Italy, England, Germany and Russia, from where he wrote political and cultural chronicles in Catalan. The use of Catalan and therefore his works however was illegal in post civil war Spain.
His figure is somewhat controversial for present day Catalans. On the one hand, his prose is widely acknowledged as the finest standard of contemporary literature in Catalan but, on the other hand, his -nowadays, usually downplayed- ties to Francoist Spain are frowned upon by the Catalan establishment today.
Pla lived completely dedicated to writing. The extent of his Obres Completes - Complete Works (46 volumes and nearly 30,000 pages), which is a collection of all his journals, reports, articles, essays, biographies, novels, and some poems gives an idea of its daunting work ability while complicating its chronological classification. Many of these pages are the fruit of a hard process of rewriting texts from his youth and weekly articles that were published in Destino for nearly 40 years, as well as hundreds of articles published in different newspapers and an abundance of correspondences.
Enrique Granados
He was born in Lleida (in Spanish Lérida), Catalonia (Spain). As a young man he studied piano in Barcelona, where his teachers included Francisco Jurnet and Joan Baptista Pujol. In 1887 he went to Paris to study with De Beriot and, most importantly, Felipe Pedrell. He returned to Barcelona in 1889. His first successes were at the end of the 1890s, with the zarzuela Maria del Carmen, which earned the attention of King Alfonso XIII.
In 1911 Granados premiered his suite for piano Goyescas, which became his most famous work. It is a set of six pieces based on paintings of Goya. Such was the success of this work that he was encouraged to expand it; he wrote an opera based on the subject in 1914, but unfortunately the outbreak of World War I forced the European premiere to be canceled. It was performed for the first time in New York City on January 28, 1916, and was very well received. Shortly afterward he was invited to perform a piano recital for President Woodrow Wilson. Prior to leaving New York Granados also made live-recording player piano music rolls for the New-York-based Aeolian Company's "Duo-Art" system all of which survive today and can be heard - his very last recordings.
Unfortunately the delay incurred by accepting the recital invitation caused him to miss his boat back to Spain. Instead, he took a ship to England, where he boarded the passenger ferry Sussex for Dieppe, France. On the way across the English Channel, the Sussex was torpedoed by a German U-boat, as part of the German unrestricted submarine warfare policy during World War I. In a failed attempt to save his wife Amparo, whom he saw flailing in the water some distance away, Granados jumped out of his lifeboat, and drowned. Ironically, he had a morbid fear of water for his entire life, and he was returning from his first-ever series of ocean voyages.
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz i Pascual (May 29, 1860 – May 18, 1909) was a Spanish pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music.
Born in Camprodon, Catalonia (Spain), Albéniz was a child prodigy who first performed at the age of four. At age seven he passed the entrance examination for piano at the Paris Conservatoire, but he was refused admission because he took out a ball from his pocket and broke a glass window while playing with it. By age fifteen, he had already given concerts worldwide. After a short stay at the Leipzig Conservatory, in 1876 he went to study in Brussels. In 1880, he went to Budapest to study with Franz Liszt, only to find out that Liszt was in Weimar, Germany.
In 1883, he met the teacher and composer Felipe Pedrell, who inspired him to write Spanish music such as the Suite Española, Op. 47. The fifth movement of that suite, called Asturias (Leyenda), is probably most famous these days as part of the classical guitar repertoire, even though it was originally composed for piano and only later transcribed to guitar. Many of his other compositions were also transcribed to guitar, notably by Francisco Tárrega — Albéniz once declared that he preferred Tárrega's guitar transcriptions to his original piano works.
During the 1890s Albéniz lived in London and Paris and wrote mainly theatrical works. In 1900 he started to suffer from Bright's disease and returned to writing piano music. Between 1905 and 1909 he composed his most famous work, Iberia (1908), a suite of twelve piano "impressions". His orchestral works include Spanish Rhapsody (1887) and Catalonia (1899).
In 1883, the composer married his student Rosina Jordana. They had three children, Blanca (who died in 1886), Laura (a painter), and Alfonso (who played for Real Madrid in the early 1900s before embarking on a career as a diplomat). Albéniz died on 18th May 1909 at age 48 in Cambo-les-Bains and is buried in the Cementiri del Sudoest, Barcelona. Cécilia Sarkozy, the former wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is the great-granddaughter of Isaac Albéniz.
Painters
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà (April 20, 1893 – December 25, 1983) was a Catalan (Spanish) painter, sculptor, and ceramist born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain to the family of a goldsmith and watchmaker. His work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride. In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods and his desire to "kill", "murder", or "rape" them in favor of more contemporary means of expression
In 1926, he collaborated with Max Ernst on designs for Sergei Diaghilev. With Miró's help, Ernst pioneered the technique of grattage, in which he troweled pigment onto his canvases. Miró married Pilar Juncosa in Palma de Mallorca on October 12, 1929; their daughter Dolores was born July 17, 1931. Shuzo Takiguchi published the first monograph on Miró in 1940. In 1959, André Breton asked Miró to represent Spain in The Homage to Surrealism exhibition together with works by Enrique Tábara, Salvador Dalí, and Eugenio Granell.
Miró dabbled in architecture when he designed the Maeght Foundation museum in Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, France, which was completed in 1964.[verification needed]
Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali, the great master of surrealism holds a great appeal for visitors to the Costa Brava. Figueres, Cadaques - Portlligat and Pubol form the three corners of Salvador Dali's Triangle.Salvador Dali Domenech (1904 – 1989), was a Catalan-Spanish artist who became one of the most important painters of the 20th century. A skilled draftsman, he is best known for his surrealist work identified by its striking, bizarre, dreamlike images. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. In addition to painting, his artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, photography, and an Academy Award–winning short cartoon, "Destino," on which he collaborated with Walt Disney; it was released posthumously in 2003.An artist of great imagination, Dali had an affinity for doing unusual things to draw attention to himself. This sometimes irked those who loved his art as much as it annoyed his critics, since his eccentric manner sometimes drew more public attention than his artwork.
Dali was born on May 11, 1904, at 8.45 am local time in the town of Figueres, in the Emporda region close to the French border in Catalonia, Spain. His father, Salvador Dali i Cusi, was a middle-class lawyer and notary. Dali's father, a strict disciplinarian, was tempered by his wife, Felipa Domenech Ferres, who encouraged her son's artistic endeavors. Dali had an older brother, also named Salvador, who died of meningitis prior to the artist's birth. When he was five, Dali was taken to his brother's grave and told by his parents that he was his brother reincarnated. "Dali came to believe that he was the reincarnation of this older brother." Dali also had a sister, Ana María, who was three years his junior. "In 1949 his sister, Ana Maria, published a book about her brother, Dali As Seen By His Sister,"
Picasso
125 years back the most important artist of century XX was born in Malaga, Pablo Picasso. In 1895 he is transferred to Barcelona with his family, circumstance that puts the sketcher, painter and Spanish escultor in contact with the artistic scope of vanguards presents/displays in the Condal City of century principles. As of this moment, an intimate relation with one of the cities begins more and more that greater influence have exerted on the artistic race of the genius.
writers
Salvador Espriu
Espiru was born in Santa Coloma de Farners, Catalonia. He was the son of an attorney. His childhood was divided between his home town, Barcelona, and Arenys de Mar, a village on the Maresme coast. At the age of sixteen, he published his first book, Israel, written in the Spanish language. In 1930 he entered the University of Barcelona, where he studied law and ancient history. While traveling (1933) to Egypt, Greece and Palestine, he became acquainted with the countries that originated the great classical myths, and which would be so influential in his work.
During the Spanish civil war he was mobilised and served in military accounting.
Translated into several languages, Espriu's work has obtained international recognition, most notably the Montaigne prize (1971). He was also given the Award of Honour of Catalan Letters (1972), the Ignasi Iglesias prize (1980), the City of Barcelona Prize (1982) and the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya (1982). He was awarded honorary doctor's degrees by the universities of Toulouse and Barcelona. He died in Barcelona in 1985, and was buried in the Arenys de Mar cemetery, which gives name to his poem Cementiri de Sinera.
Josep Pla
Josep Pla i Casadevall (March 8, 1897, Palafrugell, Girona - April 23, 1981, Llofriu, Girona) was a journalist and a popular author. As a journalist he worked in France, Italy, England, Germany and Russia, from where he wrote political and cultural chronicles in Catalan. The use of Catalan and therefore his works however was illegal in post civil war Spain.
His figure is somewhat controversial for present day Catalans. On the one hand, his prose is widely acknowledged as the finest standard of contemporary literature in Catalan but, on the other hand, his -nowadays, usually downplayed- ties to Francoist Spain are frowned upon by the Catalan establishment today.
Pla lived completely dedicated to writing. The extent of his Obres Completes - Complete Works (46 volumes and nearly 30,000 pages), which is a collection of all his journals, reports, articles, essays, biographies, novels, and some poems gives an idea of its daunting work ability while complicating its chronological classification. Many of these pages are the fruit of a hard process of rewriting texts from his youth and weekly articles that were published in Destino for nearly 40 years, as well as hundreds of articles published in different newspapers and an abundance of correspondences.
[[..Saint John's Festivity..]]
San Juan's night is full of bonfires, fireworks, music, dancing, sardines and bread. It's the welcome to summer, and its celebration takes place during the shortest night of the year.Many towns, cities or villages celebrate this first Summer Fiesta. All the celebrations share some things in common, yet each also has its peculiarity. In cities and towns, particularly those close to the sea, the celebration is very important. Lalín, in Galicia, celebrates O Corpiño, during which people touch an image to botar fora o meigallo, to take out bad things. In Alicante's Fogueres de Sant Joan, two hundreds bonfires burn all over the city during the night. In Palamós and Roses (Girona), fireworks and bonfires are made on the beach, while in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the people build bonfires of waste products, and after the burn, bathe in the sea, which they have filled with fruits and flowers.Bonfires, fire and water are the protagonists of the night. Men and women, young people and children, all dedicate their days and afternoons to the preparation of bonfires. According to tradition, if people jump three times over a bonfire on San Juan's night, they will be cleansed and purified, and their problems burned away.
Every year St John's Day (Sant Joan) is celebrated throughout Spain with an explosion of bonfires and fireworks and a colourful array of concerts and dances. Catalonians celebrate in their idiosyncratic way and Barcelon.
The festivity takes place the night before Saint John's Day, and during the short nights of the summer solstice. It is a long-standing tradition that combines fun with aspects of Catalonian identity. Old furniture is bundled onto bonfires in the villages and towns throughout the region, the fire acting as a purifier and curative element. At first, this was a rite celebrated in the main village square that brought everyone together round the fire. Nowadays fireworks are also an integral part.
For the past 50 years or so in Catalonia, the flama del Canigó (Canigó flame - an emblematic mountain in the Pyrenees) has been part of the celebration. From the top of this mountain, the flames spread throughout the region as fires are lit in each community.
The flame has contributed to a new vision of the celebration and signifies Catalan unity and identity.
The most enjoyable part of the Noche de Sant Joan are the verbenas (open-air celebrations) that last from sunset on 23 June to sunrise on 24 June. As well as in each village, there are various places in Barcelona where they take place. The main ones are in Eixample, Ciutat Velha, Sants-Montjuic, Les Corts, Sarná Gervasi, Horta Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sant Andrea and Sant Martí. Alongside the bonfire and fireworks there are stages, concerts, dances and, of course, the eating of the traditional sweet cocas.a is one of the most spectacular places to join in the fun.
jueves, 13 de marzo de 2008
Christmas in Catalonia!!*
Christmas traditions in Spain
Spain’s traditions during the Christmas season revolve around many of the same activities as in the rest of the world. Just like anywhere else, families in Spain gather together to enjoy and celebrate.
Also during the days leading up to Christmas, one might hear the voices of children singing in the streets, especially in the villages and small towns of rural Spain, where they still participate in the age old tradition called the “aguinaldo".
December 22, Christmas Lottery Winners are Announced
On December 22, two important events take place. Students are released from school for their winter vacations, they announce the winning number of the famous Christmas Lottery in Spain. This lottery, by far the biggest in Spain, is a tradition practiced by many people who long to win the grand prize, which would make them instantly rich.
December 24, Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve in Spain, called “Nochebuena”, just like in many parts of the world, is celebrated with two very important traditions, eating an enormous and decadent meal, and going to Christmas mass. There is a wide variety of typical foods one might find on plates across Spain on this night. Each region has its own distinct specialties.
December 31, New Year's Eve
Of course, the celebrations that take place on New Year’s Eve, or Nochevieja, in Spain, are quite an impressive spectacle. In all places of Spanish cities big and small. When the clock strikes 12, the church bells sound 12 times, and at this moment, all Spaniards eat 12 grapes, one for each toll of the bell. According to tradition, those who eat the grapes will have 12 months of prosperity in the new year.
January 6, Three King's Day
While most of the world has already begun packing up the Christmas ornaments, throwing out the tree, and finding a place for all of their gifts, Spaniards are continuing the celebration. January 6, Three King’s Day. On January 5, children go to a parade where they see the three kings arrive to their city, and take the opportunity to ask them for gifts. Later, before going to bed, children leave their shoes out in a visible spot in the house or on their balcony, y go to bed hoping that when they wake up they will find gifts left by Mechior, Gaspar, and Balthasar.
Spain’s traditions during the Christmas season revolve around many of the same activities as in the rest of the world. Just like anywhere else, families in Spain gather together to enjoy and celebrate.
Also during the days leading up to Christmas, one might hear the voices of children singing in the streets, especially in the villages and small towns of rural Spain, where they still participate in the age old tradition called the “aguinaldo".
December 22, Christmas Lottery Winners are Announced
On December 22, two important events take place. Students are released from school for their winter vacations, they announce the winning number of the famous Christmas Lottery in Spain. This lottery, by far the biggest in Spain, is a tradition practiced by many people who long to win the grand prize, which would make them instantly rich.December 24, Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve in Spain, called “Nochebuena”, just like in many parts of the world, is celebrated with two very important traditions, eating an enormous and decadent meal, and going to Christmas mass. There is a wide variety of typical foods one might find on plates across Spain on this night. Each region has its own distinct specialties.Among typical dishes served on Christmas Eve and during the days that follow are roast lamb and suckling pig. For dessert, there is quite a 
spread of delicacies, among them are turrón and mazapan, desserts made of honey, egg and almonds that are Arabic in origin, as well as polvorones, a sweet bread kind of like elephant ears, and a variety of nuts and dried fruits. To drink, one must have a glass of cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne, although the Spanish say that cava is much better.
spread of delicacies, among them are turrón and mazapan, desserts made of honey, egg and almonds that are Arabic in origin, as well as polvorones, a sweet bread kind of like elephant ears, and a variety of nuts and dried fruits. To drink, one must have a glass of cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne, although the Spanish say that cava is much better.December 25, Christmas Day
Christmas day is more or less a continuation of what began the day before. People spend time with their families, they eat another large meal, although not as big as the one the day before, and in many families, children enjoy the gifts that they have received from “Papa Noel”, the Spanish equivalent of Santa Claus.
December 28, Day of the Innocents
December 28 marks a day of celebration exclusively Spanish called the Day of the Innocents. Although the roots of this day are bloody, in modern times, the customs practiced on this day are very jovial and fun. Ironically many laughs are had on this day, especially by the natives.
Christmas day is more or less a continuation of what began the day before. People spend time with their families, they eat another large meal, although not as big as the one the day before, and in many families, children enjoy the gifts that they have received from “Papa Noel”, the Spanish equivalent of Santa Claus.
December 28, Day of the Innocents
December 28 marks a day of celebration exclusively Spanish called the Day of the Innocents. Although the roots of this day are bloody, in modern times, the customs practiced on this day are very jovial and fun. Ironically many laughs are had on this day, especially by the natives. December 31, New Year's Eve
Of course, the celebrations that take place on New Year’s Eve, or Nochevieja, in Spain, are quite an impressive spectacle. In all places of Spanish cities big and small. When the clock strikes 12, the church bells sound 12 times, and at this moment, all Spaniards eat 12 grapes, one for each toll of the bell. According to tradition, those who eat the grapes will have 12 months of prosperity in the new year.
January 6, Three King's Day
While most of the world has already begun packing up the Christmas ornaments, throwing out the tree, and finding a place for all of their gifts, Spaniards are continuing the celebration. January 6, Three King’s Day. On January 5, children go to a parade where they see the three kings arrive to their city, and take the opportunity to ask them for gifts. Later, before going to bed, children leave their shoes out in a visible spot in the house or on their balcony, y go to bed hoping that when they wake up they will find gifts left by Mechior, Gaspar, and Balthasar.martes, 11 de marzo de 2008
Holy week
Holy week : Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Good Friday
Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday, people go to mass in the morning. Children carry palm leaves to be blessed by the priest. Boys carry a simple palm branch, and the girls carry a branch that has been decorated. They often have sweets, tinsel or other decorations hanging from them.
Ash Wednesday
In Christian churches, Ash Wednesday is the first day of the penitential season of Lent, so called from the ceremony of placing ashes on the foreheadas a sign of penitence. In the Roman Catholic church, ashes obtained from burned palm branches of the previous Palm Sunday are blessed before masson Ash Wednesday. The priest places the blessed ashes on the foreheadsof the officiating priests, the clergy, and the congregation, while reciting over each one the following formula: "Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return".
Lent
Lent is a period of fasting and penitence traditionally observed by Christians in preparation for Easter. The length of the Lenten fast, during which observants eat sparingly, was established in the 4th century as 40 days.The 40-day period begins on Ash Wednesday and extends, with the omissionof Sundays, to the day before Easter. The Roman Catholic church has in recent years relaxed its laws on fasting and nowadays fasting and abstinenceduring Lent are obligatory only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Like the April fair, Semana Santa (holy week/easter) has been one of the most important celebrations in Seville since centuries.The Cofradías (Brotherhoods or Fraternities) process in penitence through the (many narrow) streets of the city, from their church to the Cathedral and back, taking the shortest possible route, as decreed in the rule of the ordinances by Cardenal Niño de Guevara in the 17th century.
Dates
2008: 16 - 23 MarchStarting on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), and ending on Domingo de Resurrección (Easter Sunday), there are 57 brotherhoods that pay the religious visist to the Cathedral of Seville, the third largest Cathedral in the world.
Processions and floats
Most brotherhoods carry two floats:
a float with a Christ, representing the distinct stages of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christand a float with a Dolorosa (Mary the Virgin in pain) under a canopy.Some brotherhoods even carry three floats, like the so-called: El Amor, La Cena, San Benito, or la Trinidad, others have just one like Santa Marta, La Quinta Angustia, la Soledad de San Buenaventura, or la Soledad de San Lorenzo.Resuming, in the eight days of Semana Santa, a total of 57 brotherhoods, carry their 116 floats from their church to the Cathedral and back, in the company of around 60,000 brothers participating in their different appearances:
The number of spectators may rise up to the impressing number of one million people during the most important moments of Semana Santa in Seville: the early morning of Good Friday which is when the brotherhoods of el Silencio, el Gran Poder, La Macarena, El Calvario, La Esperanza de Triana and los Gitanos set off for their processional penitence to the Cathedral.
Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday, people go to mass in the morning. Children carry palm leaves to be blessed by the priest. Boys carry a simple palm branch, and the girls carry a branch that has been decorated. They often have sweets, tinsel or other decorations hanging from them.
Ash Wednesday
In Christian churches, Ash Wednesday is the first day of the penitential season of Lent, so called from the ceremony of placing ashes on the foreheadas a sign of penitence. In the Roman Catholic church, ashes obtained from burned palm branches of the previous Palm Sunday are blessed before masson Ash Wednesday. The priest places the blessed ashes on the foreheadsof the officiating priests, the clergy, and the congregation, while reciting over each one the following formula: "Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return".
Lent
Lent is a period of fasting and penitence traditionally observed by Christians in preparation for Easter. The length of the Lenten fast, during which observants eat sparingly, was established in the 4th century as 40 days.The 40-day period begins on Ash Wednesday and extends, with the omissionof Sundays, to the day before Easter. The Roman Catholic church has in recent years relaxed its laws on fasting and nowadays fasting and abstinenceduring Lent are obligatory only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Like the April fair, Semana Santa (holy week/easter) has been one of the most important celebrations in Seville since centuries.The Cofradías (Brotherhoods or Fraternities) process in penitence through the (many narrow) streets of the city, from their church to the Cathedral and back, taking the shortest possible route, as decreed in the rule of the ordinances by Cardenal Niño de Guevara in the 17th century.
Dates
2008: 16 - 23 MarchStarting on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), and ending on Domingo de Resurrección (Easter Sunday), there are 57 brotherhoods that pay the religious visist to the Cathedral of Seville, the third largest Cathedral in the world.
Processions and floats
Most brotherhoods carry two floats:
a float with a Christ, representing the distinct stages of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christand a float with a Dolorosa (Mary the Virgin in pain) under a canopy.Some brotherhoods even carry three floats, like the so-called: El Amor, La Cena, San Benito, or la Trinidad, others have just one like Santa Marta, La Quinta Angustia, la Soledad de San Buenaventura, or la Soledad de San Lorenzo.Resuming, in the eight days of Semana Santa, a total of 57 brotherhoods, carry their 116 floats from their church to the Cathedral and back, in the company of around 60,000 brothers participating in their different appearances:
The number of spectators may rise up to the impressing number of one million people during the most important moments of Semana Santa in Seville: the early morning of Good Friday which is when the brotherhoods of el Silencio, el Gran Poder, La Macarena, El Calvario, La Esperanza de Triana and los Gitanos set off for their processional penitence to the Cathedral.
jueves, 28 de febrero de 2008
El Prat de Llobregat Demography
El Prat de Llobregat is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the delta of the Llobregat river on the right bank. More than a quarter of the area of the municipality is occupied by Barcelona Airport. Apart from the transport links to the airport, the town of El Prat is served by a railway station on the coast line from Barcelona to Valencia. The municipality also has a beach and a small nature reserve at the Llac (Lake) de la Ricarda i del Remolar. El Prat is famous for its blue-legged chickens (known as gall potablava in Catalan).Demography
1900 --> 2804 inhabitants
1930 --> 6694
1950 --> 10,401
1970 --> 36,363
1986 --> 63,052
2002 --> 66,312
El Prat de Llobregat
Location - General information
Province: Barcelona
Comarca : Baix Llobregat
Demonym : n/a
Land Area : 32.23 km²
Altitude : 8 m AMSL
Population: 63,312 (2002)
Density:1964 hab./km²
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet (Riudoms or Reus, 25 June 1852 – Barcelona, 10 June 1926) – sometimes referred to by the Spanish translation of his name, Antonio Gaudí – was a Spanish, Catalan architect, who belonged to the Modernisme (Art Nouveau) movement and was famous for his unique style and highly individualistic designs.Buildings
Casa VicensCasa Vicens is a family residence in Barcelona (Catalonia), designed by Antoni Gaudí and built for industrialist Manuel Vicens. It was Gaudí's first important work. It is added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí" in 2005.
Palau Güell
The Palau Güell is a town mansion (translated literally a "palace") in Barcelona, Catalonia, designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí for the Catalan industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell.It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí".
Church of Colònia Güell
The Church of Colònia Güell, Antoni Gaudí's great unfinished work, was built as a place of worship for the people in a manufactured suburb in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, near Barcelona, Catalonia. Colònia Güell was the brainchild of Count Eusebi de Güell. However with Güell losing profits from his business, the money ran out and only the crypt was completed. Casa Calvet
Casa Calvet is a building, designed by Antoni Gaudí for a textile manufacturer which served as both a commercial property (in the basement and on the ground floor) and a residence. It is located at 1900 Carrer de Casp 48, Eixample district of Barcelona. Casa Batlló
Casa Batlló is a building restored by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, built in the year 1877 and remodelled in the years 1905–1907; located at 43, Passeig de Gràcia (passeig is Catalan for promenade or avenue), part of the Illa de la Discòrdia in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia.
Casa Batlló is a building restored by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, built in the year 1877 and remodelled in the years 1905–1907; located at 43, Passeig de Gràcia (passeig is Catalan for promenade or avenue), part of the Illa de la Discòrdia in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia. 
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