English
Drums, shouting, dances, fire and joy with a taste from Mallorca is what the district of Gràcia offers us every year during the last weekend of January with the famous Sa Pobla Festival.
This fiery winter festival is celebrated in the honour of a patron saint of animals, Sant Antoni, and his battle against the temptation of evil. The celebration originates from Mallorca but it was popularized in Gràcia many years ago thanks to a great number of its inhabitants who came from the Balearic island. Today, this festival is a good excuse to start a cultural exchange and exhibit art, gastronomy, music and regional dances from Mallorca.
The most famous moment of the festival is protagonized by the fires and the dragon and giants parades, that take place in the different squares in the district. These open and crowded spaces are used as theatre platforms in which street artists dressed with bizarre masks, create a new atmosphere of magic and mystery, evoking the oldest traditions of the people of Mallorca and their most deeply rooted beliefs. You won´t want to miss the shows on Plaça del Diamant, Plaça de la Virreina and Plaça del Nord. Also, there you can delight your palate with the fabulous sobrassada, the most typical flavour of Mallorcan cuisine.
The noise of the fireworks combined with the music, red costumes and the frenzy of the citizens of Gràcia never fail to make you feel the authentic heat of one of the most colourful traditions of the year.
Don´t forget, on Saturday January 28th, you have a date in Gràcia. For more information and the festival programme, visit http://w3.bcn.es/fitxers/gracia/sapoblaagrcia2010.957.pdf.
So, there you go! Dance, music and tradition in a single place!
In order to experiment the best of the city´s traditions, you have to take your tourist costume off and put on the festival mask. Get apartments in Barcelona and don´t stop enjoying Sa Pobla!
Translated by: aleixgwilliam
