Capmany hosts Alt Empordà Pubillatge election on 3 October

The village of Capmany will host the election and proclamation of the new Pubillatge Comarcal de l'Alt Empordà this Saturday, 3 October. Young candidates from eight municipalities across the county will compete for the titles of Hereu and Pubilla de l'Alt Empordà.

The participating candidates represent Cabanes, Capmany, Llançà, Figueres, Peralada, Vilafant, Vilanova de la Muga and Vilatenim. The day includes tests in the morning, a street parade in the afternoon and a formal ceremony in the early evening.

What is the Pubillatge?

The pubillatge is a Catalan tradition that some international readers may not know. In Catalan, "hereu" is the traditional word for the heir of a family house, and "pubilla" is the term for the heiress. Over time, these words came to describe young people chosen to represent a town or area at festivals and cultural events.

Today, towns and villages choose their own hereus and pubilles. These young representatives can then take part in selections at a higher level. Saturday's event in Capmany is the county-wide round for the Alt Empordà. "Comarcal" refers to the comarca, the Catalan administrative unit similar to a county. The Alt Empordà comarca includes Castelló d'Empúries and Empuriabrava as well as Figueres, the county capital.

Morning tests, afternoon parade

The day will start in the morning, when the candidates sit the tests and exams that form part of the selection process. The source does not give details of what these tests involve.

The public part of the programme begins in the afternoon. From 4.30pm, a cercavila, a traditional Catalan street parade, will make its way through the streets of Capmany. The Gegants de Capmany, the village's giant figures, will take part. Giants are large processional figures carried by bearers and are a common sight at festivals across Catalonia.

Ceremony at La Fraternal

The main event will start at 5pm at the Centre Civil La Fraternal, the village's civic centre. The new representatives of the Pubillatge Comarcal will be proclaimed there. The duo Covertons will provide the music for the ceremony.

The election is organised jointly by the Consell Comarcal de l'Alt Empordà, the county council that coordinates services and projects for the municipalities of the area, together with the Foment del Pubillatge Català and Capmany Town Council. The Foment del Pubillatge Català is an organisation dedicated to promoting the tradition. The organisers say their aim is to preserve the tradition and ensure it continues.

A busy Saturday in the county

Saturday 3 October is shaping up to be a full day across the Alt Empordà. Readers staying closer to home can also choose the intergenerational escape room in Castelló, while in the county capital the old prison gardens in Figueres are due to open to the public the same day.

Capmany is a small inland village, and the afternoon parade and ceremony offer a chance to see a Catalan custom that visitors to the coast rarely come across.

Our Take

For many international residents in Empuriabrava, the pubillatge may seem like a minor event in a village a short drive inland. It is worth paying attention to, however. Events like this show how much of local identity in the Alt Empordà is kept alive by small municipalities and volunteers, not only by the larger towns on the coast.

The list of participants suggests the tradition has a wide reach, with inland villages such as Vilanova de la Muga and Vilatenim alongside Figueres and Llançà. Castelló d'Empúries is not on this year's list. It is worth watching whether more municipalities, including our own, put forward candidates in future editions. For newcomers who want to understand Catalan customs, the afternoon parade and ceremony in Capmany are an easy and open place to start.