La Mercè 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, 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 and a popular
dance from Empordà that was becoming popular throughout Catalonia: the Sardana. 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.