Flower Booth with a Sant Jordi Statue On April 23rd, la Diada de Sant Jordi, Barcelonais at its best, sort of like a child dressed up and behooved to behave for a special occasion. In the streets radiating out from […]
Folktales and Legends
Barcelona Folktales: La Laia and La Mercè
About La Laia and La Mercè in Barcelona: In Barcelona there are two major local holidays, La Laia, celebrated as Barcelona’s Major Winter Festival on February 12th, and La Mercè, September 24th, a three-day farewell to the summer months. Both […]
New Year’s in Barcelona: The Man with Many Noses:
About the Noseman: A Barcelona Tradition This traditional figure has as many noses as there are days left to the year, and if you find him, he must grant you a wish. Of course finding him is no easy task. […]
Olentzero: The Christmas Giant from Basque Country
A little history… A Christmas character from Spain’s Basque Country, Olentzero is sometimes said to be the last member of the “jentillak”, a mythological race of Basque giants that inhabited the Pyrenees before the coming of Christ. Other versions of […]
La Befana: The Italian Christmas Witch
Pasta with Mussels and Shrimp About Christmas in Italy: Christmas in Italy begins with Advent, a period of fasting before Christmas, much like Lent, the fasting period before Easter. It begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas and lasts until Christmas […]
Fernando and How to Make Crumbs
About Migas: Migas or “crumbs” are a traditional leftover dish in Spain made from leftover bread. Originally a rural dish, prepared for the workers in the field, migas can now be found in restaurants and households all over the country. […]
Javier and the Making of Las Médulas
Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, in a land called Leon, to the west of Asia and to the east of still undiscovered America, there was a range of tall green mountains. Wolves, foxes, wild boars and hares, and even […]