Morning of the Falcons of Barcelona and the Falcons of Vilafranca

Morning of the Falcons of Barcelona and the Falcons of Vilafranca

The Czech tradition of Sokols or Falcons reached Catalonia in the first third of the twentieth century and never left. However, they actually originated in the eighteenth century, when the elites of Eastern Europe began to show an interest in gymnastics. In Catalonia, at a time when civil society and sports were expanding quickly, groups appeared who took the Czechoslovakian Falcons as their model: groups that make astonishing human figures combining elements of gymnastics with constructions similar to castells (human towers), but with different techniques and shapes. Kneeling, crouching or upright, the members of the groups defy balance to create showy, classical or innovative figure, while constantly challenging themselves to update them.

The Falcons of Barcelona were officially presented at the Santa Eulàlia festival in 2003, sponsored by the Falcons of Vilafranca (created in 1959), among other groups. Twenty years later, both groups are going to perform together at La Mercè. The tower, the mountain, the fan, the ladder and the trefoil are just some of the human constructions of the Falcons, an important part of the cultural life and tradition and popular culture of Catalonia.