Ordino's Ossa Festival Shines at Pyrenean Iron Fair in Alins

Ordino's Ossa festival will feature prominently at the 14th Pyrenean Iron Fair in Alins this weekend, representing Andorran intangible cultural heritage alongside other UNESCO-recognised traditions from Pyrenean and Catalan regions.

The biannual event in Alins, Vall Ferrera in Pallars Sobirà, continues through Saturday and Sunday under the theme "Igniting memory, forging the future". It celebrates living popular traditions linked to collective memory, including Catalan human towers, the Patum festival, timber rafting, falles bonfires, dry stone walling, and bell ringing.

On Saturday, July 11, the Ordino Popular Culture Association presents a theatrical talk on the Ossa inside Alins church. The session traces the festival's evolution from its ancient origins to the present, featuring live performances by key characters in the satirical farce: dallaires, the knight, the maiden, paquetaires, senyorets, and the bear. Reports vary slightly on the start time, with some citing 11:30am and others 11:45am.

That afternoon, the association joins a roundtable titled "Before and after UNESCO recognition". Albert Roig will represent the Ossa, outlining the designation's impact on its preservation, promotion, and status as humanity's intangible cultural heritage. Other traditions at the fair will contribute, with Joan Reguant moderating discussions on the label's broader effects.