En Teo I Les Tradicions Catalanes was one of the first three children's books that I purchased in Barcelona. Nearly every weekend brings a holiday, celebration of a saint day or community gathering.
This book covers fourteen celebrations that are important to Catalan tradition. Although the book is written in Catalan, it is a great help for our family to better understand local traditions and customs. Thank goodness for children's picture books!
Every two page spread of En Teo I Les Tradiciones Catalanes shows Teo and his amigos ("amics" in Catalan) celebrating a major Catalan holiday. At the end of the book, there is a more detailed description of each holiday and its origens. I can think of some that aren't covered in this book, such as La Calçotada. But at least you will be prepared for the main holidays. This book is also good for trip planning to Catalunya! The best way to experience a culture is to celebrate with the locals!
By the way, Teo is a popular children's book character in Spain with books in Castellano and Catalan
Fourteen Major Catalan Holidays
- La Catanyada
- El Tió
- Sant Esteve
- El Dia de Reis
- Sant Antoni
- Dijous Gras
- Carnaval
- Pasqua
- Sant Jordi
- Sant Ponc
- Sant Joan
- El Dia del Carme
- Les Festes Majors
- La Diada
I am still a bit confused by some of the holidays, such as El Tió (see the picture next to La Castanyada above). Not sure really what the kids are doing with a stick and a log with a painted face? First, I need to get through La Castanyada...
Starting about a week ago, preparations began for celebrating La Castanyada. This week I will be writing about La Castanyada, special food traditions for La Castanyada and how the kids and I kicked off the festivities.
