The cobbled streets of Girona, with their historic facades and secret corners, bear witness to some of these legends. Stories that mix with reality, like the memory of the witches who once walked these same streets. Legend has it that a witch used to throw stones at all the religious symbols. One day, God punished her and turned her into stone. The priests placed her in the highest part of the temple so that no curses would come out of her mouth but pure water falling from the clouds. From witch to gargoyle by divine grace. November 1, All Saints' Day. The day of remembrance for the dead and the ancestors in Catalonia. Many of the legends and traditions also linked to witches and beasts arise around this religious festival. On the night of October 31, for example, Viladrau celebrates the witches' dance, and the Witches' Fair also takes place in Sant Feliu Sasserra. Both festivals remember the women of the village who were hanged in the first half of the 17th century accused of witchcraft. This same date also has a very sweet tradition rooted throughout the territory: the panellets. A dough made of almond flour and egg, similar to marzipan, that is coated with pine nuts, quince, coconut or even chocolate. A tradition surrounding this sweet is the Rifa de la Confitura in Reus, which has been held since 1926. The winners take away lots of bottles of muscatel and trays of jams and panellets. The "bestiari", a set of figures representing real and fantastic animals, is another element that is closely linked to traditional Catalan festivals. It is part of the collective imagination of any society and the Catalan people have a diverse and very particular collection. In Catalonia, these figures are an essential element in "cercaviles" (street parties with toads, giants and traditional music), correfocs (street show with pyrotechnics) or in popular celebrations such as Patum de Berga and major festivals. Among the most typical real animals we find the eagle, the rooster, the ox, the lion, the pig, the camel or the bat. Among the fantastic, you can't miss the basilisk (half rooster, half snake), the cucafera (a hybrid between a giant turtle and a crocodile), the griv (lion's body and an eagle's head) and, of course, the dragon. Discover how they dance and sparkle! All this imagery is also transferred to architecture and monuments. You will find a good example in Girona. There is a 12th century limestone sculpture of a lioness. Also known as "the lion's ass", because tradition says that "you can only return to Girona if you have kissed the lioness's ass" or "you cannot be a resident of Girona if you have not kissed the lioness's ass". Many of the legends that have become festivals and celebrations have an important religious background, as is the case with the Festa de la Llum, which is celebrated every February 21 in Manresa. According to the tradition, on this same date in 1345 a mysterious light from Montserrat entered through the stained glass windows of the Carmel church and split into three under the apse. This event, seen as a divine manifestation, put an end to the disagreement between the city and the bishopric over the works of the Sequia canal, which was supposed to bring water to end the drought that the city suffered for more than a decade . All these traditions and narratives are part of Catalan culture. Wherever you are, you will be able to discover a legend unique to each neighborhood, town or city you are visiting. Come and delve into the most curious stories that are part of the vibrant Catalan popular culture.