Hello again,
This blog will focus on my experience at the Santa Eulália festival. Sant Eulália is the patron Saint of Barcelona. Eulália, nicknamed Laia, was a thirteen-year-old martyr and is the namesake for many Barcelonans. She represents, “justice, solidarity, and youth.”
While the festival was a weekend-long, I joined on the final day. I began my celebration by watching traditional folk dancing. The dancing featured very young children up to adults. With each age group, you could see the difficulty increase, while the heart and basics of the dance remained the same. The backdrop of the dancing was the Cathedral of Barcelona (not to be confused with the famous Familia Sagrada). To see a small part of the dance, watch the video below.
After the dancing, I stumbled upon the parade of giants. This featured tall puppet-like sculptures dancing in the square. I liked this part of the celebration a lot. Below is a video.
If you are wondering about the mechanics of these giant dancers, imagine the bodies like a giant wooden backpack that people put on their shoulders.
The celebration ended that night with the fire run. This featured spinning firecrackers, dancing children, moving art that incorporated the fire, and the steady beat of many drumlines. The sounds filled the street and the fire filled the sky. You can find a video of this below.
I am very glad I was able to celebrate his very special day with the city of Barcelona and now share it with all of you. You can click here to learn more about this patron Saint.
Until next time,
Simona
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