Thousands celebrate Catalan language schools in Northern Catalonia, French State

La Bressola was founded 1976 to promote a network of community-run schools engaged in Catalan language immersion programs in Northern Catalonia. The first center was opened in Perpignan, subsequently, other centers have been opened in several villages. Since 1983, the schools of La Bressola have hosted students from two to eleven years. In 2005, they maintained eight educational centers for nursery and primary school children, one of them (El Soler) being, since 2003, the first to impart secondary education in Catalan in France. With seven primary schools and one high school, some 1,100 students are currently being taught.

The Bressolada is a feast held annually in Northern Catalonia to celebrate the Catalan language with plays, music and cultural events as human castles and a cantata. This year the Bressolada attracted thousands in Sant Esteve del Monestir, Roussillon, in its 16th edition. The first Bressolada was celebrated in 2003 under the slogan 'muntarem els somnis de Bressola' ("We will mount the Bressola")