There are days when a neighborhood stops being just an urban space to become a stage. This Sunday, April 19, Sant Andreu de Palomar will experience one of these moments: full streets, gralla music and a parade of giants that, in reality, speaks of the future. The XXVI Meeting of School Giants of Catalonia arrives at the Jardins de Lanzarote with the will to make visible a culture that is often built in silence, in the classrooms. And it does so with a clear idea: to put the youngest at the center: “It is a reference event among children”, explains the communication coordinator of the meeting, David Izquierdo, who vindicates the role of these initiatives within the educational and associative world.
Sant Andreu breathes culture
The choice of Sant Andreu is not casual; for years it has woven a grassroots cultural network that has served it to host an ideal ecosystem for this type of celebrations: “It is a place very full of culture, very full of children”, explains Izquierdo, who also highlights the usual good response from the youngest residents of Sant Andreu. In this sense, they foresee that the gathering will bring together around twenty groups arrived from all over the country, in addition to the eight host schools only from Sant Andreu. A sum of gazes and accents that will converge in the same parade.
Far from being a folkloric postcard, the gathering wants to be a living experience. The children will not only be spectators, quite the contrary: they will participate, carry giants and play instruments. "It's the best way to bring youth closer to our traditions," defends Izquierdo. And not only that: it is also an entry door. "There are young people who thanks to this get closer and end up getting into it." Precisely, he/she points out that these gatherings function as a revulsive at a time when many entities have lost muscle.
More than a parade
The day will begin early on Sunday with the setting up of figures in the Jardins de Lanzarote and activities for families. But the peak moment will arrive with the parade, a route that will turn Sant Andreu into a mosaic of colors and rhythms. “The neighbors will find a very familiar, very joyful atmosphere”, assures Izquierdo. And perhaps this is the key: the capacity to generate shared spaces. Precisely, in a context marked by screens and immediacy, popular culture offers another speed. A physical, collective experience: “Young people leave their phone and come here to enjoy”, highlights Izquierdo, like someone describing a small victory.
In parallel, it must be highlighted that the educational dimension is the great engine of the gathering: “In this way, students learn much more about Catalan culture than from any other”, points out Izquierdo, who does not stop highlighting a model that integrates learning and participation. For this reason, on April 19, Sant Andreu will not only host giants. It will host an idea: that culture, to remain alive, must pass from generation to generation (and this begins at school).
