LA MERCÈ

Extracted from an article at Barcelona Metropolitan: The City’s Magazine in English
[link]

Barcelona's “festa major” sits squarely at the end of summer like the world's biggest back-to-school party. Although many barrios have their own “festes” (street parties) throughout the late summer and early autumn, the whole city marks La Mercè with several days of committed partying at the end of September.

In its essence, La Mercè is the traditional village festival writ large (…). Colourful and picturesque folk traditions are shipped in from all over Catalunya, meaning that gegants (giants) and capgrossos (fatheads) parade along Las Ramblas, stately sardanes are danced outside the Generalitat, castellers (human castle groups) compete by building towers 10 men tall, while correfocs (fire-runs) and diables (demons) stampede through the city. This being Catalunya, a party's not worth mentioning unless it goes off with a very big bang, and huge firework displays over the port and Montjuïc more than satisfy this criterion (…).

The festival is named in honour of Nostra Senyora de la Mercè (the Madonna of Largesse, or Mercy), and festivities centre around September 24th, her feast day. According to legend, on this day in 1218, the Senyora de la Mercè appeared in the night to King Jaume I, Sant Pere Nolasc, and Sant Ramon de Penyafort, all at the same time. She instructed them to create an order of monks devoted to rescuing Christians imprisoned by the Saracens; to this day she is the patron saint of prisons and prisoners. Years later, in the 17th century, La Mercè saved the city of Barcelona from a plague of locusts (exactly how she did this is unclear), leading citizens to adopt her as an unofficial patron saint, alongside Santa Eulàlia, and mark her feast day with festivities. Her status as patron saint of Barcelona wasn't made official until it was declared by Pope Pius IX in 1868 (…).