BARCELONA EVENTS: CHRISTMAS IN BARCELONA
BARCELONA EVENTS: CHRISTMAS IN BARCELONA
It’s that time of year again and we’ve to prepare ourselves for one of the greatest Barcelona events! Christmas in Barcelona is one of the most special times and people come from all around the world to enjoy the festive season of this major city. One of the great things about Christmas are the Christmas markets and you will soon start to see these markets popping up all around the city, really signalling the start of the Christmas festivities. The lights would have been turned on by now and there will be the ice skating rink in Placa Catalunya. Here I will show you the Christmas markets in Barcelona and also explain some of the weird and wonderful Christmas traditions that make Barcelona a great place to spend the festive season with family and friends!!
CHRISTMAS IN BARCELONA: The Street Markets
FIRA DE SANTA LLÚCIA
Avinguda de la Catedral, 25th November to 23rd December
Noted as being the best Christmas market in Barcelona. This year the Fira de Santa Llúcia celebrates its 225 anniversary and is one of the oldest Firas in Barcelona. Here you can wander around over 300 stalls offering handmade and artisan products like jewelry, ornaments and leather products. Located just outside the Barcelona Cathedral, it is a great location to explore the great Catalan traditions that this Christmas market has to offer, including the very Catalan tradition of the Caga Tio! There are no signs of the typical German markets that we see in other major cities around Europe. People use to say that may be one of the best events in Barcelona
FIRA DE NADAL A LA SAGRADA FAMILIA
Placa de Sagrada Família, 1 until the 22nd of December
Another traditional Christmas market in Barcelona, this time in the placa across the road from the amazing Sagrada Familia! What a place to do some Christmas shopping! If you have friends or family visiting, I suggest you take them here as they will have a chance to do two great events to do during their Christmas in Barcelona 2012!
MERCAT GOTHIC
Avenida Portal de l’Angel, 37
Mercat Gòtic is the ideal place to go for antique lovers and collectors of all sorts, looking for a Christmas market in the city! Each stall offering a different selection of goods from antiques, coins, stamps, furniture, old bonds, comics, watches etc! Here you can expect to find some real treasures among the different stalls. Click on the link for photos and more information on what to expect at Mercat Gòtic and Christmas in Barcelona.
CHRISTMAS IN BARCELONA: CATALAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
Caga Tio
Okay, so by now you have probably been wondering about the seemingly strange Catalan tradition of Caga Tio!! I certainly was when I arrived in Barcelona! Though ‘Tio’ means ‘Uncle’, it also means ‘log’. So Caga Tio actually means… ‘Poo Log’!!! It is a Catalan Christmas tradition, and the idea is for the Caga Tio to be fed and taken care of by the children, who feed him orange peel and Turron every night. He wears a red beret and is usually covered with a blanket to keep him warm! From the 8th of December he gets taken care of until Christmas day when the kids are given sticks, with which they beat Caga Tio, in the hopes of getting loads of little presents and sweets! There’s even a song they sing while beating the Poo Log! Why not try adding this Catalan Christmas tradition to your Christmas in Barcelona
Caganer
The Caganer is another rather peculiar Catalan Christmas tradition that had to be explained to me on more than one occasion! It’s almost something you don’t believe until you see one! Here you have a porcelain figure that is represented as it’s having a ‘Number 2′! (A poo!) It is thought that this Catalan Christmas tradition dates back to the late 17th /early 18th Century and can be found hiding in some Nativity scenes. It’s meaning is still unclear and there is alot of debate around this, some suggesting tradition, humor, religion etc… One popular explanation is that the Caganer is a good luck sign and that he is fertilising the Earth and bringing luck for a good harvest! In more recent times we move away from the traditional figure and you can now find a Leo Messi or Barack Obama Caganer!
So that’s what you have to look forward to for your Christmas in Barcelona!!
Enjoy!
Adios!
Oh! Almost forget! Soon we’ll be talking about the New Year’s Paries in Barcelona! Stay tuned, friends!
Marie Obileye
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