The sweet party! ~Festa de Sant Medir~

Wow. Barcelona really knows how to throw a party. I keep getting surprised, there is so much going on all the time, so many fiestas and festivals and yesterday was the Sant Medir, la dolça festa. 

As so many other times, I just came across this by chance. (Note to self: 1~ need to find out how to find out about these things so I can plan and not miss a single one of them! 2~ I must also learn to never leave the house without the camera. Thankfully Google helped out as usual.)

Walking down one of the streets in Gracia, a very nice area of Barcelona, there were loads and loads of children with bags and umbrellas. (It was not raining) I heard music and drums in the distance so I joined in and waited for the parade coming down the street, horses, horse-drawn carriages, trucks… with people throwing out … CANDY!

Hence the umbrellas: something to catch flying candy in, and the bags to fill them up with candy. How fun!! They call it pluja de caramels, candy-rain!

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The origins of this dates back to 1830, when a baker who was very sick prayed to the Saint Medir to get well. He promised that if he got well, he would say his thanks to the shrine of Sant Medir every year. To make his promise public, he went out in the streets on 3. March (Día de Sant Medir) playing a drum and handing out sweets. Shortly he felt better and every year since, accompanied with an increasing number of relatives and neighbors he kept his word with the drums and the candy and a tradition started to form and grow.

Each year at March 3^rd, Gracia wakes up to drumming, whistles, parades, horses and candy. There are about 30 different groups participating with their own different flags and banners and the different carriages are decorated with all kinds of items, flowers, ribbons, and flags. The kids were going crazy trying to catch and collect as much candy as possible. People were even hanging out of windows to catch candy!!

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In the evening, there was another go! New parade, more candy.