La Festa de Sant Medir 2020
Sweets and candy will rain down on the streets of Gràcia in honor of Sant Medir
Gràcia Plaça Vilà de Gràcia, 08012 Barcelona
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Sant Medir parade in Gràcia, Mar 3, 2017. Photo courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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Sant Medir parade in Gràcia, Mar 3, 2017. Photo courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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Sant Medir parade in Gràcia, Mar 3, 2017. Photo courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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Sant Medir parade in Gràcia, Mar 3, 2017. Photo courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
La Festa de Sant Medir, Gràcia’s annual sweet and candy festival, returns March 3 for its 2020 edition, with parades of carriages and horses showering the streets of the neighborhood with the traditional candies.
In the year 303, a bishop fleeing from Roman persecution, Bisbe Sever, passed through Collserola on his way to Sant Cugat. On his way, he came upon a local farmer named Medir as he planted his beans. Once the bishop left, the beans grew miraculously quickly. When the Romans heard this fantastic story, they believed that Medir was trying to fool them and captured him. Soon thereafter they caught up with the bishop and both Severus and Medir were martyred.
In 1828, local baker and Sant Medir devotee Josep Vidal i Granés promised that if he recovered from his illness, he would go on a pilgrimage to Serra de Collserola to pay homage to the saint he adored. Two years later, he did just this. As he was a baker, this local legend morphed into a yearly celebration with the provision of goodies.
This year, 26 local community groups called colles will participate in the parades, starting at 10:00 in Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia. The festivities will continue into the evening, with the big parade along Carrer Gran de Gràcia starting at 20:00 near Plaça de Lesseps.
For a history of the celebrations and a full schedule, check out our article about Sant Medir.
For more events check our online events calendar.
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