L’Arca de Noè

L’Arca de Noè (Catalan for "Noah's Ark") is a recreational and cultural association based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. According to its official website, it was constituted in 1927 by "very animal and very prominent" figures of Catalan society at the time. The founding is attributed by the official site to the painter Santiago Rusiñol and the journalist Joaquim Ciervo, while the Catalan Wikipedia entry names Santiago Rusiñol and the painter Francesc Llop. The association takes its name from Noah's Ark, the vessel Noah built to survive the universal flood. The original purpose of the entity was to bring together members whose surnames corresponded to an animal species. Over time, the statutes were reformed and a certain flexibility was introduced, allowing many more people to join. According to the official site, the problem arose quickly: many people with animal surnames requested entry despite lacking a sense of humor, while others with surnames unrelated to the animal world but with a great sense of humor were left out. It was therefore decided that anyone who had sufficiently demonstrated their ability to commit "animalades" (foolish pranks) could take an animal alias and join the association. The association's activities have been diverse and have included visits to the zoo, animal protection initiatives, sponsorships, and the awarding of the Premi Pantera (Panther Prize) and the Premi Gasela (Gazelle Prize). The official site states that L’Arca de Noè holds nine dinners a year and also awards various journalism prizes, such as the Pantera (for the aggressive journalist) and the Gasela (for the agile and fast journalist). For 15 years it has also instituted the Paparra (Tick) prize, for the entity that insists intensely on its interests. The Arca also works to preserve Catalan traditions such as the Tres Tombs and the parade of L’Home dels Nassos. It has sponsored a camel at the Barcelona Zoo and each year, for Sant Antoni, it carries out related activities. Today L’Arca de Noè remains a living entity. Part of its documentary heritage is conserved at the Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona (Barcelona Photographic Archive). These are photographs generated by the activities of the members of L’Arca de Noè, showing the recreational atmosphere of the entity, with visits to the Barcelona Zoo, meals, and gatherings, among others.

L’Arca de Noè was constituted in 1927 in Barcelona. According to the official website, the founders were the painter Santiago Rusiñol and the journalist Joaquim Ciervo, and the driving force was boredom. They decided that all those who had an animal surname and were "animal enough" would form an ark. In this ark they would gather to dine, laugh, and ultimately have a good time. The Catalan Wikipedia entry, however, states that the entity was founded by the painters Santiago Rusiñol and Francesc Llop. The name refers to Noah's Ark, the vessel Noah built to save himself from the universal flood. The initial objective was to bring together members whose surname corresponded to a species of the animal kingdom. A problem soon arose: many people with animal surnames requested entry despite not having a sense of humor, and conversely, people with surnames unrelated to the animal world but with a great sense of humor were left out. It was then decided that anyone who had sufficiently demonstrated their capacity for "animalades" could take an alias of an animal and join the association. Over time, the statutes were reformed and a certain flexibility was introduced, allowing many more people to become members. The association's activities were diverse and included, for example, visits to the zoo, animal protection initiatives, sponsorships, and the awarding of the Premi Pantera and the Premi Gasela. According to the official site, L’Arca de Noè holds nine dinners a year. Throughout the year it also awards different journalism prizes, such as the Pantera (for the aggressive journalist) and the Gasela (for the agile and fast journalist). For 15 years it has also instituted the Paparra prize, for the entity that insists intensely on its interests. The Arca also watches over the conservation of Catalan traditions such as the Tres Tombs and the parade of L’Home dels Nassos. On the other hand, it has sponsored a camel at the Barcelona Zoo and each year, for Sant Antoni, it carries out related activities. Part of the entity's documentary heritage is conserved at the Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona. These are photographs generated by the activities of the members of L’Arca de Noè, showing the recreational atmosphere of the entity, with visits to the Barcelona Zoo, meals, and gatherings, among others. Today it is a living entity.

• 1927

  L’Arca de Noè is constituted in Barcelona by Santiago Rusiñol and Joaquim Ciervo (per official site) or Santiago Rusiñol and Francesc Llop (per Catalan Wikipedia).

• Statutes are reformed to allow members without animal surnames but with a sense of humor to join using an animal alias.

• The Premi Paparra is instituted, awarded for 15 years to the entity that insists intensely on its interests.

• The association sponsors a camel at the Barcelona Zoo and carries out annual activities for Sant Antoni.

• Part of the entity's photographic heritage is conserved at the Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona.

A historic, humor-driven recreational and cultural association rooted in Catalan society, combining animal-themed membership with social dinners, journalism awards, and the preservation of Catalan traditions.

• Premi Pantera

  Journalism prize awarded to the aggressive journalist.

• Premi Gasela

  Journalism prize awarded to the agile and fast journalist.

• Premi Paparra

  Prize for the entity that insists intensely on its interests, instituted 15 years ago.

• Annual dinners

  Nine dinners held each year.

1. 1Arca de Noéarcadenoe.cat
2. 2L’Arca de Noèwikidata.org
3. 3L'Arca de Noèca.wikipedia.org