Christmas in Barcelona

Posted on December 30, 2008
Filed Under Europe

The “fira di Santa Llucia” and the catalan traditions

One of the most important events of Christmas in Barcelona is the “Fira di Santa Llucia”, that, as every year, anticipates Christmas (in recent times with the turning on of the first Christmas lights in the Gothic quarter or the first Christmas sales at El Cortes Ingles.

This Year the Fira begun on 1st December and ends on the 23rd, just 2 days before Christmas. In the square in front of the Cathedral, not far from Jaume I metro stop, you can see the stands, decorations and lights. The fira is a must for Christmas, it’s a tradition that has been around since 1978 and its survived through the birth and death of many other firas, taking place in the city during the last few years.
The Fira is divided in 3 categories, that are; green, where you can find all the stands selling Christmas trees and nativity figures, where you can buy objects that adorn both the tree and the nativity scene, and then handicrafts where you can find wooden products and other things from local producers. Last year there were 256 stands!
Among all the stands you can also find 2 particular Catalan-typical figures, that every year appear in this fira and in many houses of the Catalan people. They are the “Tió” and the “Caganer”. The first is a kind of Yule log, that has a human face, a red hat and a red carpet that covers it. You have to feed him with orange skins and biscuits, in order to keep him sweet and in order that he gives you some presents when the time is right. On Christmas Day, people beat it with sticks, singing along the lines of; “Tió, caga tió, i si no et donaré un cop de bastó” to make him leave sweets and chocolates for the children.

The second figure, with a strong humoristic and witty character, was created in thr XVIII Century, when people began to put it in the nativity scene, because it was a symbol of prosperity for the year to come. Often the local artisans make different figures of the Caganer that take the shape of different famous people from the politics or sports world.