Official Holidays (Spanish & Catalan)
The Main - General Holidays
1th of Jan New year's day
6th
of Jan Epiphany
in April Easter
23th
of Apr Saint George's day
27th
of Apr Mare de Déu de Montserrat
1th
of May May Day
19th
of May Whitsun
24th
of Jun Saint John's day
15th
of Aug Assumption Festivities of Gracia
11th
of Sep La Diada (Catalan national holiday)
24th
of Sep La Mercè Fest
12th
of Oct Columbus Day
1th
of Nov All Saints' Day Chesnut fest
6th
of Dec Constitution Day
8th
of Dec Immaculate Conception
25th
of Dec Christmas
26th of Dec Saint Stephen's Day
Some of the Catalonia Festivals in Details
Some of the dates change depending on the
year, so if you need the exact date please check them at www.festes.org.
The Festa de Sant Jordi April 23,
The tradition of the feast of
Catalonia’s patron Saint George, for Sant Jordi, is giving a
rose and a book! This tradition, which combines a rose as a symbol of love and
a book as a symbol of culture, has turned into a festive celebration that
engulfs the streets and squares with books and flower stalls. It is a day for
walking around and enjoying the spectacle of streets turning into open-air book
shops. If you are in Barcelona on this day, you will see that the city is
full of bookstalls, free concerts and people walking around with roses. It is
an authentic day to witness.
The Eve of Saint John's: On 23 June, the summer solstice is celebrated with big bonfires, firecrackers, and fireworks, and people eat the traditional "coca de Sant Joan" (a pastry).
This is real party time and is the
equivalent in the UK of bonfire night/U.S like 4th July. Fireworks galore
and everyone goes out for "la berbena" or the all-night fiesta.
Barceloneta beach fills with bonfires and singing and it's a good job that the
next day is a public holiday.
Festa Nacional de Catalunya
September 11, it is the national day of
Catalonia. There are several activities around the city and visiting some of
the museums is also open to the public for free.
Festa de la Mercè festival, 24th September
This is the
biggest festival for Barcelona's patron saint, held in the week of the 24 September, the day of La Mercè. All
kinds of activities are organized, for all tastes and all ages. Of particular
interest is the "correfoc" (fire-breathing dragons from all over
Catalonia), and the pyrotechnical music show (fireworks and classical music
next to the Montjuïc fountains).
Traditional Activities during these days
Sardanas: Traditional Catalan dance. People meet in front of the
cathedral on Sundays to dance.
Castellers: The "castells" are impressive human towers of up to 9 "floors". They originated
in the Tarragona region, although they can be seen in popular festivals in
Barcelona, especially during the "Mercè".
13th February - La Xatonada in Sitges
According to legend the name of this typical
Catalan dish come from the word chateau, a reference to the size of the plate
and the shape of this delicious winter salad. Originally cooked by the
fishermen, this specialty is enjoyed every February on the coast south of Barcelona.
The Xato is much better in Sitges is a famous saying.
15 - 21st February - Carnaval de Sitges
Carnival has special importance in Sitges.
Thousands of visitors come to the village to see the different parades of masks
and fancy dresses, to enjoy those Carnival nights that have made popular the
notion that “everything is possible during Carnival”.
March - April - Lent and Holy week
When the Carnival is over and Lent – the time
for penance and abstinence- is well advanced, performances of passion play (La
Passio) begin in various localities and continue into Holy Week. The most
striking religious ceremonies in Holy Week (Semana Santa), which begins on Palm
Sunday, are the solemn processions in the streets and churches. Many –
including the “Dansa de la Mort” (dance of death) in Verges - take place on
Maundy Thursday. Others such as the procession of the Holy Burial are held on
Good Friday (Divendres Sant). They feature members of confraternities, the
popular Roman soldiers, and sacred images carried on floats.
On Easter Monday (Dilluns de Pasqua) people go
to chapels and shrines in the countryside to eat “Mones”. The feasts of the
Ascension (recalling Christ’s ascension into heaven forty days after Easter)
and Pentecost (Pasqua Granada, when the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles
fifty days after Easter) are religious in character.
30th March - 1st of April - Mercat del Ramat in Vic.
Animals invade the old city of Vic. This farm
country's capital is famous for its centuries-old market and its cattle industry.
Experience one of the most typical markets of the region.
6th April - Procession of the Holy Burial in Tarragona
The most astonishing religious performance of
Holy Week in Tarragona is the Solemn Procession of the Holy Burial. No need to
explain to local people about the Holy Burial in Tarragona - it is probably the
most famous Easter celebration in Catalunya.
27th April - Festa de la Mare de Deu de Montserrat, Monastery of Montserrat.
The feast of Our Lady of Montserrat, the
patroness of Catalonia. is marked by special ceremonies at the shrine of
Montserrat. Join one of our tours to Montserrat.
5 - 12th May Temps de Flors in Girona
This Flower festival is used as an excuse to
decorate all the old city of Girona with flowers, a fabulous opportunity to see
this magnificent medieval city in full bloom. Please join one of our tours to
Girona and Costa Brava.
18th May - Snail Festival in Lleida
The Festival of the Snail is the cooking
festival par excellence of Lleida. For three days, thousands of residents,
organized in lines, join around the table to taste dishes of the purest Lleida
style.
20th May - Festa de las Llana in Ripoll
It is called the “Festa de la Llana i casement
a pages”, Sheepshearing and traditional country wedding. This double feast is
one of the most ancient traditions in the city of Ripoll, the Cradle of
Catalonia. This feast pays homage to the shepherd and gives you a unique
opportunity to observe traditional sheep shearing.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi falls on the Thursday after
Holy Trinity Sunday. Corpus Christi is one of the most solemn festivities. In
many places, people still decorate the streets with flower carpets (catifes de
flors) and garlands (enramades).
2 - 3rd June - Festa del Timbaler i Fira de la Guerra del Francés in Montserrat
A festival to celebrate one of the historical
battles of the 19th century. This feast commemorates the heroic fighting of the
small village of Montserrat, El Bruc, against the Napoleon Army in 1811. Relive the story of a little boy “El
Timbaler” who scared the most powerful army in Europe with his drum.
7th June - Corpus Christi in Sitges
Mats made from flowers fill the streets of the
town center. In the evening, there is a procession through the streets with the
mats. They also hold a Flower Mat Competition.
7th - 10th June - La Patum in Berga
A veritable explosion of fire, which has been
made part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Berga also offers a fantastic view over
the Cadi range, part of the Pyrenees.
7th July Habanera, Calella de Palafrugell,
“Habanera” is a symbolic event in Catalunya
during the summer. Habaneros are a kind of seamen songs sung for generations by
the seamen who used to travel to Cuba. But Habaneres is more than a song
festival, it is a homage to the spirit of the Catalan traders and the Catalan
seamen who were looking for adventure in the new world. On the first Saturday
of July, hundreds of people gather on the small beach of Port Bo in Calella de
Palafrugell to hear these traditional songs, sung from a boat anchored a few
meters from the coast.
7th - 8th July Festa dels raiers, La Pobla de Segur
Everybody knows the river Noguera Pallaresa as
the best place for rafting and kayaking. But it was not always like that. Years
ago, the “raiers” had to navigate this wild river to transport the wood from
the mountains to the valleys. Sailing down on these fragile boats made of trees
bound together was a hard and dangerous task.
1st September Festa de Sant Gil o dels Pastors, Vall de Nuria
On this very special day, the Vall de Nuria
looks back to the origins of the shrine of the Virgin. The same way as it
happened centuries ago, shepherds hike up 2000meters to the Santuary of Nuria
to give homage to their Virgin. This is a time to recall the presence of Sant
Gil in this place and revive the legend. This is also a time for the shepherds
and their sheepdogs to measure their abilities.
23rd September Festes de Santa Tecla, Tarragona
Declared “Popular feast of National Interest”
by the Parlament of Catalunya, the feast of Santa Tecla is one of the most
emblematic celebrations in Catalunya. The Castells, or human Towers, the street
parades, and all the traditional celebrations convert the streets of Tarragona
into a permanent show during one week.
9th and 12th October Setmana del Cava, Sant Sadurni d’Anoia
Organized in 1982 to promote the “Cava”, the Catalan
Champagne. There is no better day to taste the different Cavas in the region,
coming from more than 30 different
wineries. Of course, the taste of Cava will be accompanied by the most typical
gastronomic specialties from the region.
7th and 14th October Fira del Bestiar i Fira del Bolet, Ribes de Freser
October is the month of the Bolets, or
Mushrooms in Catalonia. In many villages, gastronomic celebrations will be
organized for the “Bolets”, the mushrooms collected a few days before in the
forest. If you don’t know the secret places to pick up these precious “bolets”,
don’t miss this feast in Ribes de Freser.
29th October Fires and Festes de Sant Narcis, Girona
Concerts and streets parades will be organized
during the main feast of Girona. It is also a good time to taste the local
specialties sold in the traditional market held in the narrow streets of the
medieval quarter.
24th - 25th of November Fira de la Ratafia, Besalu
La Garrotxa is a natural park full of
mysteries; old sleeping volcanoes, dense oak forests, and peppered with medieval
villages, some of them the best-preserved in Catalunya. The oldest of these
villages, Besalu, celebrates every year an original feast dedicated to the
“Ratafia”, a liquor elaborated from green nuts. On the main square of Besalu a
traditional market is held for 2 days to present the local produce. A fantastic
opportunity for you to discover the “Catalunya profunda” and its
gastronomy.
6th December Festa del Bisbeto, Montserrat
This is a festival dating back to medieval
times.
Best time to visit Catalonia
May to October are preferred months to enjoy
the sunny days of Barcelona. Some of the best
months of the year to visit Barcelona are June and September. July
is too busy to be able to see anything without never-ending queues and August
is stiflingly hot - the locals all disappear, and it really is too hot and
humid to enjoy anything but the beach where you can imagine the amount of the
crowd.
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