Correfoc
Fire-centric feature of Catalan festivals
Correfocs (Catalan pronunciation: [ˌkorəˈfɔks]); literally in English "fire-runs") are among the most striking features present in Valencian and Catalan festivals. In the correfoc, a group of individuals will dress as devils and light up fireworks, fixed on devil's pitchforks or strung above the route. Some groups have beasts like dragons or giants. The spectators that participate dress with hats and handkerchiefs to protect themselves against burns or smoke as attempt to get as close as possible to the devils, running with the fire. Other spectators will watch from "safe" distances, rapidly retreating as necessary. A correfoc is different from a parade or a procession. The correfoc is faster and can be very intense, and the parade is slower and usually without participation of the people.
The correfoc can come in many forms. Some are simple parades using fireworks and effigies of the devil. In other ones, like Sitges, it is common for the crowd to run through narrow streets or squares filled with fireworks. Correfocs are usually run during catalan local festivals, like Festival of La Mercè in Barcelona, the Festival of Santa Tecla in Tarragona and the Festival of Saint Narcissus in Girona.
01Music
Usually, correfocs have drum bands that follow the devils, but some of them, like Manresa, incorporated music composed specifically for the occasion. The music usually can be played for band, or in some cases, pre-recorded audio files are played with speakers.
02Examples
Another typical Catalan folkloric expression of this sort takes place in L'Arboç. The highlight of the village's feast is the Carretillada. In the evening of the feast day, the town square is made to look like Hell. For nearly half an hour, "devils" burn their carretilles (carts), jumping around ceaselessly, while a large "sceptre of Lucifer" and the "pitchfork of the Diablessa (she-devil)" shoot fire-jets and other pyrotechnics. Every year, the carretillada is a bit different, because the 'colla' does not give up novelties that are added each year to add to the spectacle.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Correfoc”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Diables a la plaça de les Cols - panoramio.jpg by gpatgn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dimonis de l'Avern.jpg by Dimonis de l'Avern, CC BY 3.0
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