"The Village of the Sun" Workshop
19 December 2026 – 10 January 2027 · 11:00
CaixaForum Barcelona, la Font de la Guatlla, Sants-Montjuïc
Did you know that many of our Christmas traditions come from a Roman festival dedicated to the Sun? Why did they celebrate light on the darkest day of the year? In this drop-in workshop we will travel back to the Saturnalia and the cult of Sol Invictus, the "birthday of the Sun" that the Romans celebrated at the winter solstice, when the days began to grow longer and, with them, came the promise of a new harvest. Using a system of poles and fabrics, families will build the elements of a small village of the sun together: an assembly and group-building activity that turns myth into shared architecture. In this way we will discover one of the cultural origins of Christmas, in which the solstice is understood as the moment when darkness begins to give way to light. Workshop designed by Íñigo Barrón and Jerome Lorente, architects, designers and educators, both members of the collective Martillo Neumático. Specialising in creating art installations and experimental educational processes, their work focuses on unique fabrication processes and collective spatial experiences. Activity recommended for children aged 4 and over.
Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona · checked on 2 November 2026