L’Ou com Balla is one of Barcelona’s most distinctive Corpus Christi traditions. Each year, fountains in historic courtyards and cloisters are adorned with flowers to host this ritual. Simple yet enchanting: an egg floats and spins atop the fountain’s jet of water, gracefully defying the laws of physics. A symbol of fertility and renewal, it has remained unchanged since its origins, balancing between the playful and the sacred.
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Although its beginnings remain something of a mystery, as early as 1636 the Cathedral’s account books recorded the purchase of eggs to make them “dance” on the Corpus fountain. References to decorating the cloister’s fountain go back even further, to 1580.
The cloister fountain of the Cathedral and the Casa de l’Ardiaca are the classic stages for this water spectacle. It can also be seen in the cloister of the Church of La Concepció – slightly more tucked away, yet equally captivating.
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