On Friday, about 8 am, cannon like sounds were heard throughout my neighborhood announcing the Feast of the Assumption, a Catholic, HOLYDAY of obligation, the festa of Gràcia AND
A HOLIDAY, meaning a day off for the majority of the people.
We headed for placa Rius y Taulet and didn't expect the crowds that had already gathered there.
plaça Rius y Taulet, 2008
Of course, we were about 2 hours behind everyone else and I suspect some fun stuff had already happened.
When we got there, we followed the sounds of pulsating drums and saw people rhythmically moving and swaying.
I excused my way through the crowds, and I could see the TALL PEOPLE dancing in the middle of the placa.
Devils danced and the crouching dragon I mentioned in a previous post was there including Gaudi's lizard.
These 2 animals charged the toreador who then pierced its skin. This is the closest I will probably get to a bullfight, even though I think all there knew they were not really real bulls.
Next, other devils, I think, dressed in yellow pants and blue capes dancing in a circle told us to move further away.
I hesitated just enough to see the entire sky lit with fire and the sparks landing on my body, singing my skin in places it shouldn’t have been.
A burning feeling told me shouldn't be there.
plaça Rius y Taulet, 2008
People were scattering everywhere.
I got some photos of people running and you can see the black devils shooting the fire crackers and smoke is everywhere.
I felt like Robert Capa (the famous war photographer) but really, I don't have deadlines to meet, ( no, it's true), I don't get paid ( yes, even truer) and this blog is purely for fun (that's a fact).
I've got to prioritize my free time better, I think.
When all calmed down, again some folks made a circle and shot what I think were muskets. For them to shoot again, they had to fill the barrel of the rifle with gun powder.
Anyway, the photos on flickr represent about 2 hours of my day at Rius y Taulet.
It took another 2 days for my body to recover, to sift through the photos and to decide what to show for this post.
Wow … another 4 days to go.
P. S. Rius y Taulet creative theme seems to be the Smurfs. In my opinion, they are a contender for first place.
 | View barcalunacy's la festa Gràcia, 2008 FLCKR photoset. |
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