Fiesta Major de Sants 2024 - Decorated streets with live music

About Fiesta Major de Sants 2024, Barcelona

Everyone has heard of the Fiesta Major de Gràcia and it has become a popular tourist attraction. In fact each Barcelona neighbourhood (and most towns and villages in Spain) have a fiesta Major del pueblo. This is a street party and celebration usually on or around the patron saints day of the village.

History of the Sants Neighbourhood and Fiesta Mayor

Historically, Sants was a small industrial town of textile mills outside of Barcelona such as Vapor Vell or Espanya Industrial, until the expansion, La Eixampla neighbourhoods were built at the turn of the 19th century filling in the gaps between old medieval Barcelona and its many outlying villages like Sants and Gràcia.

The Fiesta Mayor de Sants remains very traditional with neighbourhood associations decorating the squares and streets. The decorations are thematical and also express traditional Catalan myths with giants, castellers, devils, etc. the Sants festival has many dances, large collective meals, concerts of habaneras, children's workshops, fairs, etc.

The festival is celebrated in honour of San Bartolomé (24th August), The patron saint of the Sants village. According to legend, he lived his martyrdom in Sants. Like many other Christians in these regions, at the time of Emperor Diocletian (Roman emperor from 284 to 305 AD), Saint Bartholomew's skin was ripped off at his execution. For this reason he is considered the patron saint of trades related to leather work, such as tanners, knockers or whippers.

The first historical references to the Sants Festival dates back to the mid-19th century, when dances such as the Serrallonga or the bastons were organised, as well as the Sant Bartolomé dance, in which Roman soldiers, two angels and a demon participated.

Image Gallery for Fiesta Major de Sants 2024, Barcelona

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