I never realised Catalonia was different from Spain. It has its own language, culture and traditions and some of the most incredible festivals I have ever seen. One of the most authentic I saw was in the Pyrenees Mountains in July. 150 locals ran down the mountain side carrying enormous flaming logs to ward off evil nature spirits. From the valley we saw a red snaking line, and when the log bearers reached the village music started and everything went haywire! There are so many other awesome festivals, with human castles, devil fire runs and giants. Definitely try to see one as these are authentic real life rituals, some of which are 1000 years old. Pagan traditions are definitely alive in Catalonia, so if you're a Travel Troll like me - head out of Barcelona into the rural Catalan villages.

There is a company that organizes small group trips to Catalan festivals for English and Spanish speakers: www.cultourabcn.com

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