Fira de Santa Llúcia, Barcelona’s Christmas market
With 224 editions behind it, the Fira de Santa Llúcia is the oldest fair in Barcelona.
The earliest known date for the fair is 1786, a fact we find in the ‘Calaix de Sastre’, the 52-volume personal diary of Rafael Amat, Baron of Maldà, who devoted himself to recording the events and social customs of the Catalonia of his day, from 1769 to 1819. Here’s an extract from one of the entries in his diary: ‘13 December, Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr. There was a celebration in the Cathedral, in the chapel and at the altar where the image of the Virgin is venerated; and outside, in the cloisters, with the fair in front of her street, many stalls of nativity scenes, clay and cardboard figures, images of saints, shepherds, animals…, which draw great crowds of people, (…). And inside the Seu the people hear Mass and pray to the Virgin to keep their eyesight clear.’
Since then the Fira de Santa Llúcia has evolved without losing its traditions, and the stalls that used to be made of planks and awnings are now little wooden huts. Some of the Christmas items are still the same, though: clay nativity figures, shepherds, animals, nativity scenes, caga tiós (the Catalan Christmas log that ‘poos’ presents) and all sorts of decorations, while others are more recent additions, such as Christmas trees and Father Christmases. Still, as every year, the star figurine is the caganer (the little figure squatting to do his business in the nativity scene), which they make with the faces of all kinds of famous people.
All in all, I love this fair and try to go every year, because it smells of tradition and reminds me of my childhood. That said, this year I think there are a good few stalls that shouldn’t be there, selling things with NOTHING to do with Christmas, and the fair could do with one selling hot chocolate or something else to eat to warm you up.
Dates: 3 to 23 December 2010
More photos of the Fira de Santa Llúcia.
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