La Mercè is the biggest annual festival in Barcelona. The week-long festival consists of many free concerts and several traditional events such as: Parade of giants, la Sardana dance, Correfoc (fire-run), and Castell (human tower). It starts on September 18th and ends on the 24th. The Correfoc is a one of the kind experience. The demons and dragons chasing after the crowd with firecrackers was definitely the highlight of the festival. There is a link of my video below documenting some of the moments of La Mercè 2015. According to Wikipedia: The celebration of la Mercè has religious origins, honoring the Virgin of Grace (Mare de Déu de la Mercè). In Catalan, the word mercè has meanings related to service, help, a sense of compassion, and loving mercy. The festival has been celebrated since the Middle Ages when, in 1687, Barcelona suffered a plague of locusts. To fight against insects, the Consell de Cent voted to ask the Virgin's assistance. When the city was delivered from the pestilence, she was named patroness of the city of Barcelona— although this was only recognized by the Pope in 1868. Since that time, an annual festival has been celebrated in the city in honor of the Virgin.
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AboutThis blog was launched in August, 2015 during my 8th year of studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I decided to start this blog and record some of my thoughts and moments. This blog is also dedicate to Richard Fu, a good friend of mine who is now guarding me from above. He inspired me to get out of the comfort zone and be curious about the world. Amig@'s blogs
Check out my brother Will's blog (in Mandarin) to see what he's up to these days (Design, fashion, food, technology, music, film...etc) Check out Kris' website for some high quality photos around the world Archives
September 2023
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