A celebration with history and tradition
It is said that for Santa Eulàlia, on February 12, Barcelona cries and the rain floods the city. They are the tears of the one who was the patron saint of the Catalan capital until the 17th century and who lost the privilege in favor of Santa Mercè. Rain or shine, for the winter festivities, Barcelona will offer numerous free activities to enjoy with family, friends or alone. All, after the parenthesis of the pandemic.
Dates and program of the Festas de Santa Eulàlia 2024
This year, the festivities will be held from Friday 9 February to Monday 12. It will be four days of a wide cultural and leisure offer, all free and many outdoors. Although the definitive program is not yet complete, the skeleton and the activities that can be carried out each day are already known.
Official program of the Santa Eulàlia Festival in Barcelona
For several years now, the Festes de Santa Eulàlia have been governed by a largely constant program. However, each edition presents something new in order to encourage Barcelona residents and Catalans from everywhere to participate and this 2024 will be no less. Below is the list of confirmed activities for each day from Friday 9 February to Monday 12:
Friday February 9
– Children’s Proclamation
– Audition of the carillon of the Generalitat
– The protocols of the League
– Following the protocols of the Áliga de la Ciutat
– Dance of the Giants of Santa Maria del Mar and the Lion in Santa Maria Square
– Ball of the Eagle of the City at the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar
Saturday February 10
– Plantation of giants in the
– Cercavila de la Laia – Route: Route: streets Elisabet, Bonsuccés, La Rambla (descending street), Ferran and Plaça de Sant Jaume
– Exhibition of Children’s and Youth Dance Shows
– Meeting of drummers “Els batecs de la Laia” – Route: Carrer de Colom, la Rambla, Ferran, Plaça de Sant Jaume, Micó and Plaça de Sant Miquel
– Catalan Esbart of Dancers
– Lali Jove, at Moll de la Fusta
– Correfoc de Santa Eulàlia – Route: Carrer de Colom, the Rambla (uphill lane), Ferran, Plaça Sant Jaume
– Traditional concerts at pl. Saint James
Sunday February 11
– Diada Castellera de Santa Eulàlia, at pl. Saint James
– Barcelona Falcons performance and parade – Route: Plaça Nova, Bisbe and Plaça Sant Jaume
– Meeting of Giants of Ciutat Vella and Seguici de Santa Eulàlia
– Plantation of giants, beasts and dances in Plaça Reial
– Parade of the Giants – Route: Carrer de Colom, La Rambla (upward side), Portaferrissa, Plaça de Cucurulla, Boters, Plaça Nova, Bisbe, Sant Sever, Baixada de Santa Eulàlia
– Santa Eulàlia dance and floral offering in the Santa Eulàlia chapel
– Arrival Seguici de Santa Eulàlia at Plaça Sant Jaume
Monday February 12
– Matinees of grillers under the chapel of Santa Eulàlia
– Cercavila de la Laia – Route: Palau de la Virreina, La Rambla (central passage), Boqueria, Carrer del Call and Plaça Sant Jaume
– Penó de Santa Eulàlia at the Town Hall and Laia goes for a walk
– Parade of the Laies – Route: Descendent Rambla, Cardinal Casañas, Plaça del Pi and Plaça Sant Josep Oriol
– Plantation of the giants in Plaça Sant Josep Oriol
– Walk of the Laies – Route: Pi, Cucurulla, Plaça Nova, Bisbe, Sant Sever. Santa Eulàlia dance and floral offering in the Santa Eulàlia chapel. Resumption of the walk through Baixada de Santa Eulàlia, Banys Nous, Ferran and Plaça Sant Jaume
– Ball of Santa Eulàlia and final ballad in Plaça Sant Jaume
– Castell de Focs, at pl. Sant Jaume (to be confirmed)
Origin and meaning of the Feasts of Santa Eulàlia
Although Santa Eulàlia is the traditional patron saint of Barcelona, the celebration of the festival in the city is relatively recent. Until the last two decades of the 20th century, the festivities were inconstant and were mainly limited to liturgical acts of the Catholic Church and institutional celebrations of the City Council. This changed from 1983, with the initiative of the gangs of giants in Pi and Plaça Nova, in the Old City; and in 1985, with Maria Aurèlia Capmany as Councilor for Culture, when the foundations were laid for the new festival, which took shape also thanks to the push of the Coordinator of Colles de Gegants and Bestiari de la Ciutat Vella, which quickly it incorporated numerous acts of traditional roots. It was already in the nineties when the festive protocol that governs the celebrations to this day was established.
But what is celebrated at the Festas de Santa Eulàlia? The legend from Barcelona explains that during the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian, in the 4th century, the persecution of all Christians in the empire was ordered and Barcelona became one of the great hiding places. Then, Eulàlia, a thirteen-year-old girl who lived in a farmhouse in Sarrià, showed great courage by presenting herself to the Dacian consul to rebel against those unjust acts. Eulàlia was imprisoned and punished, but she did not let herself be defeated and fought so hard for her ideals that they ended up costing her her life. Because of all this, Eulàlia became a symbol of solidarity and defense of justice.
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