Barcelona's Traditional Nativity Scene

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Rivers, valleys, mountains... This year, the traditional nativity scene installed in City Hall becomes a window onto Catalonia’s geography, recreating its mountain landscapes. Made with moss, soil, sand and vegetation, these scenes transport you to a little village in the Pyrenees. Within these familiar landscapes unfold scenes depicting the Annunciation to the shepherds, the Nativity, the journey of the Three Wise Men from the East and the Flight into Egypt, the latter set among pharaonic ruins. 

Among the figures you will find characters who populated distant Bethlehem but also others that will seem more familiar, as they are well-known figures from the traditional Catalan nativity scene: shepherds with their sheep, the shepherdess with a flock of geese, the fisherman, the hunter, the stonemason, the mushroom gatherer and, of course, the caganer.

Barcelona is one of the most active cities in the support and dissemination of the eight-hundred-year-old tradition of pessebrismo as an expression of a living cultural heritage. Entry is free; check the official website for hours.

For more events check our online events calendar.

Christmas in Catalunya

Are you curious about Catalan holiday traditions? Head over to our page Christmas in Barcelona, and you'll learn about the famous Catalan "pooping log" and the caganer. If you're looking for something Christmassy to do, check out our list of events in and around the city at: What's on in Barcelona: Christmas.