L'ou com balla - Corpus Christi

The Corpus Christi is a 700 years old celebration, although for a period of time it stopped being celebrated until the City Council and the Cathedral of Barcelona, decided to recover this celebration, one of the oldest and most beautiful festivities of the city. The recovery was based on two of the most popular elements of the festival: "l'ou com balla" -the dancing egg- and the procession. To these two elements is added a third: the creation of ephemeral carpets. The commemorative events take place mainly in the courtyards and gardens of Barcelona's emblematic buildings, where there is an explosion of flower carpets, ous com balla, peals of bells, exhibitions, talks, parades, dances, open doors, pyrotechnics and organ concerts and the procession.

The three elements of Corpus Christi

L'ou com balla (the egg as it dances)

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"L'ou com balla", one of the most unique celebrations in Barcelona, has been held since 1637. The custom consists of making an egg dance on the water thrown from the spouts of cloisters, courtyards and gardens, which are decorated for the occasion with floral motifs and cherries. The tradition, as simple as it is mysterious, continues to generate controversy about its origin and meaning.

The most outstanding spaces where the egg will dance this year:

• Barcelona Cathedral (Pla de la Seu, 3)
• Museo Frederic Marès  (Plaza de Sant Iu, 5)
• Historical Archive - Casa de l'Ardiaca (calle de Santa Llúcia, 1)
• Board of Trustees of the Archives of the Crown of Aragon (calle de los Comtes, 2)
• Ateneo Barcelonés (calle de la Canuda, 6)
• Maritime Museum (Avenida de las Drassanes, 1)
• Royal Monastery of Santa María de Pedralbes (descent from the Monastery, 9)
• General Captaincy of Barcelona (Paseo Colom, 14)

Warning: "The egg that dances" has had to adapt to the climate emergency context of the drought. Faced with this exceptional situation, the entities have sought different solutions, according to the possibilities of each space, to preserve the celebration of the party. Where water can be recycled for irrigation, the amount has been minimized, while other spaces have been forced to decorate dry fountains with flowers or make the egg dance with air.

The procession

The culminating moment of the Corpus Christi festival in Barcelona is the procession, a parade with all the elements of the popular entourage, such as the Giants of the City, the Eagle, the Lion , the Ox and much more. In addition, they go out accompanied by various groups of dances, music and with more elements of popular culture, such as trabucaires, the Coronela, the Falcons and the mojiganga. The procession, which has been celebrated in Barcelona since 1320, is intangible cultural heritage of the city, and takes place on the Sunday following the festivities of Corpus Christi (this year it will be June 2). The acts of the procession will begin at 6:50 p.m. in the Plan de la Seu, next to the Cathedral, and the procession at 7:00 p.m. with the presentation of the festive figures in the City Hall who make a first tour that starts in Plaza Sant Jaume and continues along Calle del Bisbe, Plaza Nova and Calle dels Arcs. At 19:45 the procession resumes to which is added the liturgical procession.

Procession route

• Nova Square
• Arcs Street
• Cucurulla Street
• Cucurulla Square
• Pi Street
• Sant Josep Oriol Square
• Pi Square
• Cardenal Casañas Street
• Pla de la Boqueria
• La Rambla
• Ferran Street
• Sant Jaume Square
• Bisbe Street
• Nova Square
• Cathedral Avenue

The carpets

Traditionally they were made with flower petals, whole flowers and grass, but nowadays more materials are used, such as seeds, sawdust and shavings dyed with anilines, coffee grounds, coffee capsules and other recovered materials. The carpets depict a variety of motifs: religious, local themes or anniversaries.

Emblematic spaces in which carpets will be installed

• City Hall (Plaza de Sant Jaume)
• Barcelona Cathedral (Pla de la Seu, 3)
• Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi (Plaza del Pi, 7)
• Royal Monastery of Santa María de Pedralbes (descent from the Monastery, 9)
• Plaza de la Virreina

All spaces with carpets