04 Mirador a les Deveses - Sant Julià de Cerdanyola

The Devesa viewpoint

 Mountain life

Have you ever heard of wine from Cerdanyola? In the past, all these deserted terraces supported by their magnificent dry stone walls were planted with vines. Centuries ago, the people inhabiting the mountain tried to be as self-sufficient as possible and wine was an important foodstuff. Moreover, in the mid 19th century, Catalonia experienced a veritable craze for wine. The Phylloxera disaster in France boosted exports and led to vines being planted everywhere. But the joy ended when this small insect crossed the Pyrenees at the end of the 19th century. In a few years, the harmful insect had devastated all the Catalan vineyards as well as many fortunes and dreams. Such was the disaster that many vines were never replanted. This was also the case of Sant Julià de Cerdanyola, although, if the planet continues warming, who knows if it could produce a new Priorat?

The Fia Faia

There is one night in the year when the mountains surrounding Cerdanyola are softly illuminated by a very old light, from centuries and centuries ago. It is a cold and very special night: it is Christmas Eve. Winter solstice has arrived, and from then on, nights begin to get shorter, days will be getting longer and the cycles of farming start once again. To celebrate this, every 24th of December, the inhabitants of Sant Julià de Cerdanyola and Bagà take torches they have made by tying together bunches of a special dried grass. Then they go up the mountain, light them and from there, begin to descend to the village square. The sound of the fire reminds you of an ancient animal. Participants say that the warm light of the torches awakens a deep bond with the distant past, lost in the darkness that descends from the snowy peaks.