El Tempir

El Tempir — formally the Associació Cívica per la Llengua "El Tempir" d'Elx — is a civic association and cultural brand founded around 1994 in Elx (Elche), in the Baix Vinalopó comarca of the Valencian Community, Spain. Its stated mission is to contribute to the linguistic recovery of Valencian (the local designation of Catalan) in Elx and the southern districts of the País Valencià, working to make the language viable as a modern, everyday vehicle of communication among the citizens of Elx. The organisation operates as a non-profit membership body rather than a commercial company, but it functions as a recognisable brand through its publishing, campaigns and public events. The association's activity concentrates on two main fields. In education, it campaigns for the opening of new Valencian-language immersion lines in schools and secondary institutes across the city and municipality of Elx, using both protest and festive formats — most visibly the Trobada d'Escoles en Valencià, which brings together around 10,000 people. In the field of social use, it publishes a semestral magazine, also titled El Tempir, containing sociolinguistic, historical, dialectological and literary studies focused on the south of the Valencian Country, alongside a diary of the association's day-to-day work for the recovery and normalisation of Catalan. In 2009 it created an interactive map of Valencian-language educational centres in the Valencian Community. El Tempir has more than 240 members, drawn mainly from Elx and from other towns and cities across the Catalan-speaking territories. Its public profile is reinforced by campaigns such as "Teixim llaços des del sud del sud", "Lingüísticament sostenible", "Les nostres escriptores" and "Dones valencianes en majúscules!", and by an active presence on social media and its website eltempir.cat, which carries news, statements and event listings. The organisation collaborates with institutions including the Universitat Miguel Hernández d'Elx (UMH), the Institut d'Estudis Comarcals del Baix Vinalopó, ACPV-Casal d'Elx, the Cineclub Luis Buñuel, the public Valencian universities and the Ajuntament d'Elx — for example on the Valencian-language film cycle that has screened titles such as "Balandrau. Vent salvatge". Recognition for its work includes the Creu de Sant Jordi awarded in 2019, on the association's 25th anniversary, for its militant dedication to the full normalisation of the language in all social spheres and for promoting awareness of the country and its cultural expressions from the capital of the Baix Vinalopó. In 2021 the Fundació Bromera per al Foment de la Lectura gave El Tempir its collective award for its work in favour of language and reading. El Tempir remains active, continuing to publish, campaign and organise cultural events in and around Elx.

El Tempir was born around 1994 as the Associació Cívica per la Llengua "El Tempir" d'Elx, with the aim of contributing to the linguistic recovery of Valencian in Elx and the comarques of the southern País Valencià. From the outset it framed its work around making Valencian a viable, modern and commonly used language among the citizens of Elx, rather than treating it only as a heritage subject. The association grew into a membership organisation that today counts more than 240 socis, most of them from Elx but also from other towns and cities of the Catalan-speaking territories. Its activity developed along two main axes. In education, El Tempir has campaigned for the opening of new Valencian-language immersion lines in schools and secondary institutes in the city and municipality of Elx, combining reivindicative and festive formats. The best known of these is the Trobada d'Escoles en Valencià, which gathers around 10,000 people and became one of the association's signature public events. In the field of social use, it began publishing a semestral magazine, also called El Tempir, containing sociolinguistic, historical, dialectological and literary studies centred on the south of the Valencian Country, together with a diary recording the association's daily work for the recovery and normalisation of Catalan. In 2009 the association created an interactive map of Valencian-language educational centres across the País Valencià, an early digital tool for families seeking schooling in the language. Over the years El Tempir broadened its public profile through campaigns such as "Teixim llaços des del sud del sud", "Lingüísticament sostenible", "Les nostres escriptores" and "Dones valencianes en majúscules!", and through collaborations with institutions including the Universitat Miguel Hernández d'Elx, the Institut d'Estudis Comarcals del Baix Vinalopó, ACPV-Casal d'Elx, the Cineclub Luis Buñuel, the public Valencian universities and the Ajuntament d'Elx. These partnerships produced activities such as the Valencian-language film cycle, which in 2026 screened titles including "Balandrau. Vent salvatge". Recognition followed. In 2019 El Tempir received the Creu de Sant Jordi on the 25th anniversary of the association, awarded for its objective of contributing to the revival of Catalan language and culture at the extreme south of the linguistic domain, principally in the city of Elx, and for its militant dedication to the full normalisation of the language in all social spheres and the promotion of awareness of the country and its cultural manifestations through festive and reivindicative activities from the capital of the Baix Vinalopó. In 2021 the Fundació Bromera per al Foment de la Lectura granted El Tempir its collective-modality recognition in the Premis Fundació Bromera al Foment de la Lectura for its work in favour of language and reading. The association remains active, publishing, campaigning and organising cultural events, and maintaining a news and social-media presence through eltempir.cat.

• 2026

  Collaborates with UMH on the Valencian-language film cycle, including the screening of "Balandrau. Vent salvatge".

• 2021

  Receives the collective recognition of the Premis Fundació Bromera al Foment de la Lectura.

• 2019

  Awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi on the association's 25th anniversary.

• 2009

  Creates an interactive map of Valencian-language educational centres in the País Valencià.

• 1994

  El Tempir is founded around 1994 as the Associació Cívica per la Llengua "El Tempir" d'Elx.

A grassroots civic and cultural brand for the promotion and normalisation of Valencian/Catalan in Elx and southern Valencia, combining festive and protest-based advocacy with publishing and educational work.

• El Tempir magazine

  A semestral publication with sociolinguistic, historical, dialectological and literary studies on the south of the Valencian Country, plus a diary of the association's activities.

• Interactive map of Valencian-language schools

  Created in 2009, mapping educational centres in the País Valencià that teach in Valencian.

• Trobada d'Escoles en Valencià

  A mass gathering of Valencian-language schools bringing together around 10,000 people.

1. 1El Tempir official websiteeltempir.cat
2. 2"Balandrau", nova proposta cinematogràfica en valencià de la UMH el 3 de setembre – El Tempireltempir.cat
3. 3El Tempir – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4El Tempir – Viquipèdiaca.wikipedia.org