* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
Sorting photographs for The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia I have found those of the caramellas of La Bisbal de l'Empordà of the year 2012, a performance with some beautiful songs.
No documentation has been found that proves when or where the tradition of caramellas began, but it is known that in the 16th century it was already celebrated in the rural world and that the oldest are the religious-themed compositions dedicated to the Virgen del Rosario. .
Caramellas (in Catalan, caramelles) are popular songs that are sung at Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, although they can also be profane.
The performers were groups of children or adults who went out to sing in houses and farmhouses on Holy Saturday night or on the mornings of Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
They were accompanied by various instruments and collected eggs and money that people gave them to make a collective meal, the same day, in the afternoon, or a few days later.
This tradition has numerous variants: in some places the performers danced between singing and singing. In the Catalan region of Bages, for example, the dance with rattles was typical.
During the 19th century, choirs adapted this tradition, introduced it to the cities and revitalized it with new elements and new musical pieces.
The oldest date referring to the cantada de caramellas in the city of Barcelona is from 1776, but it seems that the first groups were not organized until the middle of the 19th century and did not become general until 1881.
