FLAMENCO, ‘CASTELLS,’ THE CANTO OF SIBILIA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET, WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE

UNESCO has decided to include in the Intangible World Cultural Heritage list several Spanish customs and traditions: flamenco, the ‘castells,’ the Canto of Sibila (The Song of Sybil) and the Mediterranean diet. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recognized the cultural value that flamenco has contributed to society for centuries thanks to a music that “expresses a whole array of feelings and emotions” and a dance “that’s pure passion and seduction.”  The Catalonian ‘castells,’ those impressive human towers that have risen to over ten stories at times and date back to the end of the XVIII century, have also received this recognition. The Majorcan Canto of Sibila, a medieval liturgical chant related to Gregorian chants that is interpreted at midnight mass in churches all over Majorca, joins the deeply rooted Spanish traditions that have won this international recognition given by the UNESCO.
The Mediterranean diet, a joint bid with Italy, Greece and Morocco, will also have a place on the World Heritage site list. According to the review committee, this diet based on olive oil, cereals, fruits and vegetables, and small portions of meat, fish and milk products, is a “cultural expression that promotes social interaction.”
Ayre, Fiesta Hotel Group’s urban brand, invites you to enjoy these traditions in person in our hotels located in the Iberian peninsula. Discover the soul of flamenco staying in our Andalusian hotels: Ayre Hotel Córdoba and Ayre Hotel Sevilla; witness the extraordinary strength and equilibrium of the ‘colles castellers’ while visiting one of our lodgings in Barcelona: Ayre Hotel Gran Vía, Ayre Hotel Caspe or Ayre Hotel Rosellón; or get a taste of the Mediterranean diet in any of our Ayre hotel restaurants.