At Christmas, many old villages in Catalonia turn into a 'pessebre vivents' or living nativity scenes, depicting the biblical story of the birth of Jesus.
The residents of the medieval part of the village depict all kinds of scenes in their homes, forming a route that you follow as a visitor. Every year we visit a different one, this year in Les Torres de Falls.
A narrow village street, the sound of drums and flutes, and a parade of people dressed up with exaggerated, large heads—Capgrossos—who wink at children and tease the audience with theatrical gestures. In Catalonia, these "large heads" are as much a part of a Festa Major (summer festival) as the Gegants (giants), Castells (human castles), or the fireworks spectacle of Correfoc (running fire). But listening to their story reveals not only the laughter of the parade but also a long history of ritual, identity, and regional pride.
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