Tradition «gegantera» in Catalonia goes back to the fourteenth century. From year 1391, specifically, are the first written documents which mention this centuries-old tradition. These documents refer to the Corpus Christi procession of Barcelona, where the giants of the time were Biblical figures such as David, Goliath and «Sant Cristòfol.» Little recently, the tradition was spreading to all Països Catalans (Valencia and Mallorca) and appeared «capgrossos» and the female giants and, since the XIX century, the tradition went further Corpus to the festivals and carnivals, and the Giants went from be biblical figures to be kings, queens and nobles.
After a long crisis during the second phase of the Franco dictatorship, the tradition rebounded strongly from the 1980s. People restored and reproduced the old giants, new ones were constructed, «colles» and associations and meetings were created all around Catalonia. These contemporaries giants are made of fiberglass and other lighter materials than traditional. In 1984, the Agrupació de Colles de Geganters of Catalonia was created, which from next year annually appoints a «Gegantera» City of Catalonia.
Well, this year’s Giant World’s Fair will be held in Calella, on September 25th and 26th, in occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Colla de Geganters i Grallers de Calella. Furthermore, the fair will coincide with the 30th Fira de Calella i l’Alt Maresme, held annually during these dates, which receives each year more than 60,000 visitors.
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