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Sant Joan 2021
Flama del Canigó

What will Sant Joan be like this year?

The reception of the 'Flama del Canigó' will be in the Plaça del Rei, and attendants will be required to book their spot in advance.

For more than fifty years, the Flama del Canigó has been welcomed in Barcelona by the Gegants de la Ciutat, the Capgrossos Macers, and the Àliga de la Ciutat. It is one of the most distinctive rituals during the Night of Sant Joan, which originated in 1955 thanks to Francesc Pujades. The tradition, inspired by Jacint Verdaguer’s poem Canigó, references a fire that rises at the top of this mountain and spreads, in a single night, throughout the Catalan-speaking territories to light up the bonfires. The Barcelona City Council received it for the first time in 1967 and it continued to throughout the Catalan-speaking territories during the dictatorship as a symbol of the survival of the country's culture.

This year, the reception will be at Plaça del Rei, and attendance will only be allowed with previous reservation. The event can also be followed live on the Cultura Popular Barcelona's Facebook page. The celebration will start with a concert by the Cobla Sant Jordi - Ciutat de Barcelona, who will receive the Flame with the song Muntanyes del Canigó. After the lighting of the censer — accompanied by the dances of the Àguila and the Gegants de la Ciutat — the representatives of each neighbourhood will go up to the stage and take the fire that will light up the bonfires in the city. The act will conclude with the interpretation of Cant dels Segadors.

This year, several bonfires and censers will be lit throughout the city. The Barcelona City Council and the different organizing entities are working under the current regulations to set up the bonfires and verbenas in the different neighbourhoods.

Find all updated information on the Sant Joan website.

Publication date: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
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