La Patum de Berga is a long-standing festival with medieval roots that, each June, brings the main square of this small Catalan town to life. Recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, it brings together religious and secular elements in a series of symbolic performances: the Eagle, the giants, the devils and the Plens, figures surrounded by fire. Everything centres on Plaça de Sant Pere, which becomes an open stage where the whole town takes part, sustaining a tradition closely bound up with its history and identity.
This is good to know
The festival grew out of the celebrations that once accompanied Corpus Christi processions in the Middle Ages, with records dating back to 1525.
If you want to take part, join the crowds in the square during the Salt de Plens (when the Plens, firework-bearing figures, move through the crowd), but make sure you wear old clothes and a scarf.
It remains a vivid example of medieval street theatre, centred on the struggle between good and evil.
