The Catalan expression "fer campana" colloquially means to skip school or play truant. This phrase is unique to Catalonia and is not commonly used in other Spanish-speaking regions, where different terms are employed to describe the act of missing class.
The origin of "fer campana" is linked to historical practices in educational institutions. In medieval times, particularly in monastic and parish schools, students who were absent from class were often assigned the task of ringing the church bells. This chore was physically demanding due to the size and weight of the bells, making it an undesirable punishment. Consequently, students who wished to avoid this responsibility would leave before the bells rang, effectively "skipping" class to evade the task. Over time, this behavior became associated with the term "fer campana," reflecting the desire to avoid the burdensome duty of bell-ringing.
Today, "fer campana" remains a part of Catalan colloquial language, illustrating how historical practices can influence modern expressions. The term serves as a linguistic reminder of past educational customs and the lengths to which students would go to avoid certain responsibilities.