Corpus Christi 2015: L'ou com balla

Every year on Corpus Christi, Barcelona celebrates with L'ou com balla, that is, the dancing egg. If you think seeing an egg being tossed and turned atop a water fountain sounds silly or boring, think again. Visitors are mesmerised yearly when they come upon the few fountains around the city that are elaborately decorated with flowers, and of course the egg on high. The first L'ou com balla reportedly took place at the Barcelona Cathedral in 1637. Corpus Christi this year is on Thursday June 4, and up to nine buildings in the city will feature the dancing egg for three days, from June 4 to 6.

Feast your eyes on the dance at the cloister in the Cathedral, the gardens of the Frederic Marés museum, the Casa de l'Ardiaca, the cloister at the Santa Anna church, the cloister of the Puríssima Concepció Basilica (Aragó, 299), the Sant Jeroni de Montbau church (Plaça Mossèn Ferran Palau, 3), the gardens the Ateneu Barcelonès, the cloister of the Pedralbes Monastery and the non-profit occupational centre Taller Escola Sant Cami (Ercilla, 57). As timetables vary for each location, we recommend you check the website of the place you plan to go to find out when you can see the egg doing its thing.

Other parallel activities of the celebration of Corpus Christi in Barcelona include the Open Day of the Ajuntament (June 4) and the traditional parade that begins Sunday (June 7) at 7.45pm in Av. de la Catedral and carries on past Plaça Nova, C/ dels Arcs, Portal de l’Àngel, C/Comtal, Via Laietana and C/Joaquim Pou, before finishing up where it started in Av. de la Catedral.