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Event
Information:
La Mercé 2010 will take place from
Thursday 23rd September until Sunday
26th September.
La
Mercè is the annual festival
(“fiesta patronal” or “fiesta
mayor”)[citation needed] 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, La Mare de Déu de la Mercè
in Catalan. Although the actual
feast day is September 24, the
festivities begin a few days
beforehand.
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, the first
Castell competition in the city, 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 Catalonian Wine Fair;
a special correfoc; a marathon race;
and the particularly popular
pyromusical, a spectacular display
of synchronized fireworks, water
fountains, and music conducted at
the base of the mountain of Montjuïc.
Local
Weather:
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