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The ou com balla, the dancing egg, shows us the magic of simplicity. This phenomenon, around the Feast of Corpus Christi in Barcelona, has, through time, become a symbol identified with the festival in the city.

The ou com balla includes an egg, water and an abundance of flowers, all three of which are symbols of fertility and regeneration, part of the vitality of the spring season. It is popularly thought that the dancing egg represents the host, or the body of Christ in the Eucharist, inside a rich casing decorated with precious stones.

The origin of the “ou com balla” (dancing egg) is difficult to pinpoint. What we do know for certain is that it has existed since at least 1636, when the Cathedral’s accounting records mention the purchase of eggs for the fountain on Corpus Christi and its octave. These expenses also included the decoration of the cloister’s fountain at the Barcelona Cathedral, a practice that had been carried out since at least 1580.

To trace its origins, we must consider several factors — first among them, the long-standing tradition of Mediterranean water games, such as those found in Andalusian or Slavic cultures, as well as the symbolism of the celebration itself: eggs, water, flowers, and cherries — all seasonal elements with deep symbolic meaning.

The fountain in the cloister of Barcelona Cathedral and that in Casa de l’Ardiaca are the most traditional places to find the dancing egg. These days you can see it in the courtyards of many of Barcelona's unique and historical buildings. This boost to the Feast of Corpus Christi as a public festival allows us access to the various ous balladors that invite us onto the streets to wander round the city's most beautiful corners. A walk on the day of Corpus Christi enables us to enter some charming courtyards, those of the Museu Frederic Marès, the Acadèmia de les Bones Lletres, the Palau del Lloctinent and the Ateneu Barcelonès, for example. And we must not forget the ou com balla in the cloister of the La Concepció parish church, which, although set apart from the route through the narrow streets of Barcelona, has had an egg dancing there for many years.