The unveiling of the new Tarlà marks the start of the Spring Festivals, which will take place from 17 to 26 April

Friday, April 10, 2026

This new figure has been created using as a model the first preserved Tarlà, which is kept at the Girona History Museum and which spun until the 1980s.

One of the main new features of this year's Spring Festivals, which are celebrated from 17 to 26 April, is the debut of a new Tarlà, which has been completely redesigned.

This new version, the fifth one preserved, is lighter, more durable, and incorporates new technological solutions to adapt it to current needs. All of this while maintaining the classic aesthetics and handcrafted finishes. To achieve this, the first preserved Tarlà, located at the Girona History Museum and which spun until the 1980s, was used as a model.

This first Tarlà can be seen on display all year round in the showcase alongside the rest of the figures preserved from the old festive imagery of Girona, which date back to the 19th century. Of unknown authorship, the head, body, and legs are made of wood, and the structure of the arms is made of iron.

It is a figure of uncertain origin; some authors suggest it could have been the advertising attraction of a shop on Argenteria Street. It eventually became a characteristic element of the neighbourhood street festivals held around Saint Augustine (28 August). These were one of the last celebrations of the summer period, and one of the most renowned festivals in the city.

The Tarlà, after a walk through the neighbourhood streets, was hung between two balconies using a bar. The bar had a wheel at one end that allowed it to spin. When the bar moves, the figure simulates doing pirouettes through a simple system of joints. Its arms are articulated at shoulder level, and the legs move through the joints of the pelvis, knees, and feet.

In the mid-20th century, the street festivals of Argenteria Street disappeared, and after some years out of use, the Tarlà was brought back for the Spring Festivals in April.

In the past, the Tarlà wore a different outfit every year: there is documentation showing it wore a cyclist costume, a clown, a medieval page, a peasant with a barretina, a tuxedo with a top hat... the current jester outfit was designed by Joaquim Pla i Dalmau in the 1960s.

Its popularity made it the protagonist of a legend. The legend says it was responsible for entertaining the residents during one of the plague episodes that affected the city cyclically centuries ago.

It is said that many, many years ago, the city of Girona suffered a severe outbreak of plague, which particularly ravaged Argenteria Street, which had to be placed under quarantine.

To entertain the children and the citizens of Girona during the confinement caused by the epidemic, a character began to do somersaults.

It is a remnant of another legend that said that an inhabitant of the street had been protected from the plague thanks to devotion to Saint Augustine, the patron saint of the street. In one of the buildings on the street, you can still find a small chapel with an image of the saint today.