Matí Bastoner i Cercavila

Start: Plaça de Sant Jaume. Route: Ferran, la Rambla, Cardenal Casañas, Pl. del Pi, Pl. de Sant Josep Oriol, Palla, Banys Nous, Baixada de Santa Eulàlia, Sant Sever, Sant Felip Neri, Pl. de Sant Felip Neri, Montjuïc del Bisbe, Bisbe, Pl. de Sant Jaume

Matí Bastoner i Cercavila

This stick dance, an ancestral dance with deep local roots dating back to the twelfth century, is once again filling Barcelona’s streets for La Mercè. This art, which may have originated in peasant rituals or old sword fights, with the swords turned into sticks, is still alive and well in our city.

The Matí Bastoner begins with a vibrant exhibition in plaça de Sant Jaume and continues with a passacaglia through the streets of the Gothic Quarter to the beat of the flabiol, gralla, accordion, violin and the sound of the sticks. The dozen participating groups will fill the streets with colour and movement as they recreate symbolic fights, with skirts and scarves distinguishing the sides.

This dance, which was initially only for men, now also welcomes women, and both have danced equally since the 1960s. The Balls de Bastons de Catalunya Coordination Committee, which organises this activity, works to keep this tradition alive and spread the richness of our folk culture.