The Gales d’Anglès
The Gales d’Anglès, which have turned into the town’s annual festival, date back to the Middle Ages, when feasts were organised by the lords of the castle. The Gales start on the Friday before the first Sunday in September and finish the following Tuesday.
The Sant Antoni Fair
The Sant Antoni Fair takes place on the third weekend in January, coinciding with the feast day of the patron saint of animals.
Various activities are organised across the weekend, including the traditional trade and farm animal show, exhibitions, shows and craft stalls, as well as the traditional blessing of animals.
On the Sunday, a second-hand and antiques market, tractor and farm machinery gatherings, and classic car and motorbike events are held.
El Remei Festival
Also known as the ‘little festival’, or gales petites, the El Remei Festival falls on the second Sunday in October and honours the patron saint of the town. Various celebratory events take place, including a tribute to the Virgin of El Remei. Other popular activities are the speed painting, photography and ratafia competitions.
Santa Bàrbara Gathering
The Santa Bàrbara Gathering is a group walk on the second Sunday in May. It starts in Puigbell and ends at the Santa Bàrbara peak. Once everyone arrives at the top, sardana dancing takes place, the new hermit for Santa Bàrbara Hermitage is named for the year, and the traditional hermitage mass is attended.
Sardana Gathering
The first Anglès Sardana Gathering was held on 19 June 1955, under the trees of Can Burés. Now, on the third Sunday in June each year, it brings together sardana dancers from all over Catalonia.
During the event, the Floricel Golden Rose Prize is awarded to someone with a notable commitment to promoting sardana dancing and other Catalan traditions.
The Floricel Sardana and Cultural Group has been encouraging people to take up sardana dancing for decades, in order to preserve this part of Catalonia’s intangible heritage.
Giants
The giants of Anglès, named Miquel and Remei after the town’s patron saints, made their début in September 1996. Miquel represents a roder, who works in the forest making wheels and hoops for barrels. He carries a cutting tool in his sash and a basket and a gilet over his shoulder. Remei is a weaver, and is about to change the bobbin of thread in a shuttle.
They were designed by Adrià Creus and Rafael Puig.
Legends
The town of Anglès is enriched by a fertile oral tradition that has given rise to a number of legends. Many of them involve supernatural beings, like the Witches of Anglès Castle and even the devil himself. Others tell tragic stories, such as that of the Bride of Can Biel, or tales of hope and protection for the town, like the legend of the Virgin of El Remei.
Delve into a world of fantasy as you get to know the legends of Anglès…
The creation of this website has been carried out in the framework of the execution of Operation 7 of the PECT Girona, Active Heritage, 50% co-financed by the FEDER Operative Program of Catalonia 2014-2020, charged to the budget from the Generalitat de Catalunya, and 25% from the Diputació de Girona.
