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Posted via email from Rose Condo Girona
The “Fires i Festes” of Girona are the week-long (24th oct-1 nov) city festival which are also referred to as Sant Narcis, Girona’s patron saint. Legend has it that a massive swarm of flies came out of the tomb of Sant Narcis and drove away the invading French army and so the fly is duly celebrated as Girona’s emblem.
Every year there are a multitude of events held mainly around the Devesa Park with a fun fair with all the latest scary attractions; what started off as an agricultural fair has now expanded its ambit to most products for home and garden and the “Barraques” an area devoted to serving food and drink to raise money for a variety of local groups. This last area seems to be where most of Girona’s youth experiments with excess alcohol consumption and loud music.
There are street parades, free concerts until late, guided visits to the main cultural venues, activities for children and dancing the traditional “sardanes” for all ages.
Plenty of choice to be had at the food stalls full of tempting snacks, cheeses, breads, chocolates, wines, beers and other local products to consume there or take home. The bars and restaurants are full and everyone is incredibly tired of partying by the end of the second weekend where the firework display on the evening of sunday 1st nov announces a festive end until next year.
Posted via email from gironaJ
The Caixa Forum has some important exhibitions every year and it is always a pleasure to wander around the old converted textile factory with its impressive brick and metal work. At the moment there is a collection built up by the Aga Khan over several decades of Muslim art over a thousand year period when they dominated most of the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East.
From Cordova, Spain to India and Iran the trade and pilgrimage routes brought ideas, literature, music and science to all corners of the muslim world. Interesting to note that they were the most progressive in seeking and incorporating influences from other cultures in marked contrast to our perception of Islam currently.
In this collection we can see the influences of the Chinese on pottery design, glass and ceramic design from Iran, building and architecture from India and of course the beautifully illustrated manuscripts of the Qur'an.
The varieties and different techniques used reflect the values of tolerance and pluralism which were such an important part of Muslim life. They welcomed ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural diversity and any country or empire throughout history that has done that usually blossoms and prospers to the detriment of other areas.
Well worth a visit before the collection is put on permanent display in Toronto, Canada.
Posted via email from gironaJ
Tags: Aga Khan, Caixa Forum, Catalan, Chinese, Cordova, India, Iran, Islam, Koran, Middle East, Muslim, Qur'an
