Catalan celebrations

- Christmas: Everybody knows this celebration but here, in Catalonia, we celebrate different celebrations from the rest of the world. Here in Catalonia we don’t celebrate Santa Claus, we celebrate “El Caga Tió”, this is a trunk that the children hit with sticks with the intention of receiving sweets and presents.

- Sant Joan: This is a summer festivity. People go to the streets and parks and throw a lot of fireworks and make bonfires. It’s typical to eat a special cake, which is called “coca de llardons”, and it’s delicious!

- National day of Catalonia: On 11th of September we commemorate when Catalonia and Aragon lost the battle against the rest of Spain.A king had died without children, so Catalonia and Aragon and the rest of Spain wanted different kings, finally the king that the rest of Spain wanted became Spanish king. So then Barcelona went on fighting (in total we fought 14 months) and we lost. Then this king changed our institutions and rights because we didn't accept him. The date when we lost is 11th of September of 1714.

- Patron Saint of Barcelona, Merçè: This day (24-9) we remember La Merçè, the patron saint of our city, Barcelona. This day people go to the streets and to the centre of the city and they see “els castellers”, people who build human castles, “trabucaires” or shotgun men and other types of exhibitions.

- La castanyada: This festivity for some people is Halloween but for the Catalan people it is “la castanyada”. We go to visit friends or family and eat typical deserts, for example, panellets, chestnut (castanya) and “moniatos”, (they’re similar to the potatoes, sweet and their colour is like that of the pumpkin). Sometimes, some people wear a “castanyada” costume. “La castanyera” is de symbol of this celebration, this symbol is an old woman who bakes chestnuts.