Camino Barcelona Blog

Hi everybody,

Today Vahri, our new trainee has decided to write a post on one of the biggest celebrations in Barcelona: “La Merce”. Read it carefully. She will give you many tips.

Have a gorgeous sunny week-end if you are here in Barcelona!!!

 

Hi guys,

My name is Vahri, I’m the newest work experience recruit at Camino Barcelona! I arrived here about 3 weeks ago and I have loved every minute so far! Barcelona is one of the most welcoming cities I’ve been to; everyone I know who has been here raves on about how lucky I am to spend a year here so I hope there will be lots of good times ahead! I already feel at home here and I’m sure that you will feel the same if you decide to pay a trip to this amazing city! One thing that I LOVE about Barcelona is that you can never get bored! There is always some form of party to go to, a street festival or a cultural event going on. In my three weeks here I’ve already been to two massive street festivals and there are more to come!
 

If you want to come to Barcelona, now is the time to do it as the famous ‘Festival de la Mercè’ is just around the corner! This is Barcelona’s biggest street party that runs from Thursday the 22nd of September till Sunday the 25th. It takes place all over the city, in each different ‘barrio’ there is something different to experience. I had never heard of it before I got here but since my arrival, everyone seems to be talking about it so I thought I better get myself in on the action and you should too! 

La Merce takes place in celebration of the ‘Mare de Deu de la Merce’ who is the patron saint of Barcelona. This year there will be hundreds of activities taking place all over the city, with the streets being taken over by arts performances, parades, fire runs and people everywhere! Amongst a variety of new acts this year, there will of course be the annual favourites returning. For example each year the famous ‘Correfoc’ (Fire-run) takes place at dusk around Via Laietana and is a magical but potentially adrenaline filled arts display that runs through the streets. If you want to get a sneak-preview of this unusual tradition, you can check out the video that I have put below. The ‘Devils’ run up and down the streets with giant hand held spiralling fireworks and bangers along side fire breathing dragons spraying flames from sparklers into the crowds! This is not for the faint hearted however and it is recommended to wear protective clothing to shield you from the fire of these ‘Devils’! There is however a tamer earlier version if this is not for you!

Of course there are plenty of other things to see including a ‘Giants parade’, the famous ‘Castellers’ Human-tower attracting thousands of people each year (make sure you get there early to get a good view!) and if you’re looking for a party (what Barcelona does best!) there are live music shows and bands of all genres playing all round the city each day and night. As with every party in this city, there will also be copious amounts of beer and other drinks on offer for your consumption! There is something to interest everyone at this festival and as Barcelona’s biggest party of the year, it should not be missed!!

You can find the full schedule of activities on-line at the following link.

And if you want to combine an exciting cultural experience such as La Merce with your Spanish studies we still have availability for our courses this month!! You can find more information about our different courses and accomodation and reserve your place on our website! Make sure you don´t miss out!

We hope to see you there!

Vahri

 

This entry was posted on Friday, September 16th, 2011 at 9:58 am and is filed under Actividades, Sandrine, Spanish Culture - Cultura española. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.