The Festes de la Merce By Edward Grey At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The Festes de la Merce, which roughly translates to Feast of the Merce, is an annual festival held in Barcelona. It is a four day event and it starts on September 24. It is the feast day of the patron saint of Barcelona, the Virgin de le Merce. However, most just view it as an opportunity to celebrate and have a good time.

Though the event starts on September 24, a national holiday, there are many activities that take place before the event itself. One such activity is the "Parade of the Giants". It involves the use of wooden figures, called gegants, which are then paraded on the streets. Gegants are typically made of paper mache and wood. They oftentimes reach heights of up to 15 feet. There are performers hidden inside the figure itself, operating it and providing actions. It often appears in twos, for example, as a king and queen combination.

There are a lot of other events taking place during that time. Sports events, musical events and firework displays are all common activities. Drinking alcoholic beverages is very common during this time. A famous type of beverage that should be sampled is Cava. It is a type of sparkling wine, typically colored white or pink, produced in Catalonia, Spain. Cava roughly translates to the Catalan word for cellar. It is commonly associated with celebrations and family traditions, for instance during baptisms. Catalan dancing is commonly seen throughout various areas during the festival to promote Catalan culture.

A tradition that is performed during the festival is a sport involving participants called "Castellers". They are typically found in the Placa de Sant Jaume. It is there where the participants compete against others with the objective of forming the highest possible "human tower". Castellers are typically garbed in traditional costume while competing. One of the highest recorded "Castells"- the term used for the human towers, is 9 tower levels.

Another event taking place during the festival is the Ball de Bastons. It is a folk demonstration which can be described as a "stick dance". Some instruments used during this dance are the tabor pipes, shawm and bagpipes. Dancers typically carry one or two sticks, called bastons, and perform varying degrees of movements. The dancers are garbed in white skirts or trousers with a touch of red decorations.

The Sonar Festival is also held during this time. If is a festival to celebrate music of different kinds. DJ's from all over the world come and participate in this festival. Activities include multimedia shows and techno music shows. There are two parts to the festival, The Sonar by Day and The Sonar by Night. The first part is located at the Raval district while the second part takes place in the Hospitalet de Llobregat. It is an event attended by music lovers from all over the globe.

There is typically a fireworks display conducted in conjunction with the activities of the Montjuic Fountains. The show is combined with an eclectic display of music and lights.

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