correfoc means any of several forms of parade-like celebrations in Catalonia involving pyrotechnics in the middle of a crowd. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “correfoc” is a great word
CORREFOC — [Noun] A traditional Catalan festival in which costumed devil-figures parade through streets, brandishing pyrotechnics that shower sparks directly over the participating crowd. Borrowed from Catalan correfoc, from corre ("run") + foc ("fire"), literally meaning "run [through] fire." Unlike a "bonfire," a contained, stationary blaze, or a "fireworks display," a distanced, orchestrated spectacle, a correfoc is a mobile, anarchic immersion where the audience runs through the performance. It is the percussive snap of firecrackers racing at ankle-level, the sulfurous hiss of a diablessa’s spark-wheel spinning inches from your face, and the collective, grinning flinch of a crowd playfully chased by fire—a choreographed flirtation with chaos that makes a temporary festival of our primal fear.
Etymology
Borrowed from Catalan correfoc (literally “run [through] fire”).
noun
- Any of several forms of parade-like celebrations in Catalonia involving pyrotechnics in the middle of a crowd.“The correfoc (‘fire run’) is a frenzy of pyromania. Groups of horned devils dance through the streets, brandishing tridents that spout fireworks and generally flouting every safety rule in the book.”