The celebration of Barcelona's Corpus Christi and the traditional ou com balla have been declared a National Heritage Festival by the Government. This recognizes a religious and popular tradition deeply rooted in the Catalan capital, dating back to the 14th century. According to the Department of Culture of the Generalitat, this festival, initially instituted to exalt the Eucharist, "has preserved its characteristic features and has been a driving force and artistic inspiration for over 700 years."
The most prominent act of the festival is the ou com balla, which consists of making an egg "dance" on the jet of water from the fountains in the cloisters, courtyards, and gardens of emblematic city spaces, which are adorned with flowers. Open days are organized from Thursday to Sunday of Corpus Christi so that citizens can see it, and floral carpets are also made, in a festival currently organized by the Barcelona Cathedral and the Barcelona City Council, with the collaboration of different traditional and popular culture entities.
The Corpus Christi festival in Barcelona, from its beginnings, has transcended its strictly religious aspect and, in addition to liturgical processions, has become a key element of popular culture's imaginary. In the Catalan capital, the Corpus Christi procession was celebrated until 1979, but thirteen years later, in 1992, several entities decided to revive it. It is celebrated on Corpus Christi Sunday afternoon and consists of two distinct parts: one of a festive nature with a popular procession, music, and dances through the streets of Ciutat Vella, and one of a religious nature with the monstrance in the cathedral.