I don't remember who said 'The day in which I haven't Learn anything is a day wasted'. My day today is definitely not wasted, I have learned something about Barcelona, my adopted city, that I never knew before:
** An Oral Tradition - Apparently, not any festival or even Barca-Madrid can alter a ritual of this peculiar tradition that take place every Wednesday night, in the 'Story House' (Ramon y Cajal street, 35), where a marathon of story telling in which participate not just locals but some foreigners who knows Spanish well enough to tell stories or listen to them.
The soul of this marathon and poetic session is Namancia Rojas, directress of this very unusual and popular gathering. She herself an artist of oral narration of all types of stories. Some of these have been published in her book 'Neither witches nor Snow-Whites' (translated from 'In brujas In Cenicientas)
A note on the door of the Story House announces:
'Entrance is free; like dreams and Hope'
** A Blower (soplador in Spanish) - There are only 3 of these blowers left in the entire city of Barcelona. It's basically a system of a bell that consists in some small tubes which you have to blow on from the entrance hall, the foyer, or by the front door, so that it would ring the bell in the house or apartment you wish to enter. Just 3 of them left, and the reporter who is now gathering material to write about the parts of Barcelona few tourists know, not even great number of Spanish themselves - the old and the new, including myths and legends.
He would not disclose the addresses of these 3 buildings in case too many people would flock there to look and disturb the peace of the residents.
** Guided Night Tour - While on the subject of myths and legends, there are guided night tours in Barcelona, organised by the Ministry of Culture, visiting Gothic districts of the city to learn about the history, origin or mysteries of many noted places. This one I did know about long before today though.
Tags: blower, oraltradition
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