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La Mercè
Annual Barcelonan festival / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Mercè (Catalan pronunciation: [lə məɾˈsɛ]) is the annual festival (Catalan: festa major) of the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It has been an official city holiday since 1871, when the local government first organized a program of special activities to observe the Roman Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Mercy (Catalan: La Mare de Déu de la Mercè). Although the actual feast day is September 24, the festivities begin a few days beforehand.
La Mercè | |
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![]() Gegants in the feast of La Mercè, 2003 | |
Dates | 21–24 September[1] |
Website | lameva.barcelona.cat/merce |
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Some of the most important features of the festival were introduced in the year 1902, when parades included papier maché "giants" known as gegants i capgrossos and a popular dance from Empordà that was becoming popular throughout Catalonia: the Sardana.[citation needed] The holiday has enjoyed immense local popularity ever since.
Among more recently introduced traditions are the annual Catalan Wine Fair, a special correfoc, a 10 km race and the pyro-musical, a display featuring synchronized fireworks, water fountains and music conducted at the base of the Montjuïc mountain.