The Àliga de Sitges, which is 40 years old this year, will return to the streets for the Festa Major, once the restoration it is currently undergoing has been completed. The appearance of this iconic beast of Sitges folklore will stay more or less true to the original, but the remodeling will work on several aspects of the figure, such as the fibreglass of the body and some changes to the beak and tail, which are two very delicate parts of the eagle. The Councilor for Traditions and Festivities, Eva Martín Martínez, said that “the City Council has a duty to maintain our festive heritage in good condition and the Àliga needed comprehensive work to fix the damage caused by the fiery festivities”.

The craftsman Arnau Codina, specialist in festive imagery, has been in charge of the restoration of the Àliga in his workshop in Olivella, since last June 20. He is responsible for fixing the parts of the body that are damaged, maintaining the use of fibreglass and the orange colour that makes the figure easily identifiable. The beak and the tip of the tail will be new, but will aim for maximum similarity with the originals. The material of these two parts of the Áliga’s body will also change from the current damaged iron to stainless steel, which should give them more more durability.

Other renewed aspects will be the grill to see out from inside, and the the clamps for the rocket wheel in the tail area. In addition, the anchor points of the eagle’s crown, which are currently quite damaged, will be reinforced. The entire restoration process was fully explained to the Sitges Festive Heritage Council and had their approval.

Adapted from the original here