Festivities for Santa Eulàlia adapted due to the health situation

In line with the recommendations from the health authorities, this year’s festivities for Santa Eulàlia will not include parades, dances or the other activities normally held in the streets. Many other activities have been adapted so that Barcelona’s winter festival can go ahead safely.

03/02/2021 19:08 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

The most iconic and traditional ceremonies, the hanging of the pennon and the wreath laying for Santa Eulàlia, will be adapted to the current situation: no audience and the possibility of watching on social media on the website for the Santa Eulàlia Festivities on Friday 12 February, at 12 noon and at 7.15 pm.

The displays organised by the city’s groups and associations and by the Casa dels Entremesos have also adopted the necessary measures to ensure safe visits. These exhibitions are:

  • “Exposició de les gegantes Laies”, a display of giants by the name of Laia in the courtyard at the City Hall from 6 to 12 February, from 11 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 8 pm.
  • “Exposició del bestiari infantil de Barcelona”, a display of children’s festive beast figures at El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria from 7 to 21 February.
  • “Exposició de gegantons i capgrossos”, a display of mini-giants and bighead figures at El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria from 7 to 21 February.
  • “El Corpus és bestial”, a display of historical beast figures used to celebrate Corpus Christi, at El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria from 7 to 21 February.
  • “15 anys de les nostres catifes. De Catalunya a la UNESCO”, a photographic exhibition on the last fifteen years of the Catalan Federation of Flower Carpet Creators at El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, from 7 to 21 February.
  • “Per no perdre el temps. Calendaris tradicionals, des del món rural a la societat industrial”, an exhibition on traditional calendars at the Casa dels Entremesos, until 14 February.
  • “Ombres xineses de Joan Amades”, a display on the Chinese shadow figures of folklorist Joan Amades, at the Casa dels Entremesos, from 4 February to 7 March.

The open days at city museums will also go ahead on 12 and 13 February, offering a large number of exhibitions, workshops, conferences, performances and other activities for people of all ages.

Santa Eulàlia on social media

The city’s popular culture social media and the Santa Eulàlia website are offering various activities online and the chance to see different videos produced from images of previous edition of the festivities, or which the city’s federations, groups and organisations have filmed for the occasion. This material includes the protocol by the City Eagle figure, the tradition parade with bands, the lace makers’ display and some special choral singing from the Cors de Clavé choirs and the Catalan Federation of Choral Entities.

The activities which normally draw the biggest crowds, such as the human towers meeting and the fire run, will not be able to go ahead this year, but there will be a space for remembering them with images from the Santa Eulàlia festivities from other years.

There will also be a space for traditional dance groups, giants and mini-giants, sardana dancing and other expressions of popular culture.

Cut-outs of the city’s giants

As part of the Santa Eulàlia Festivities for 2021, Barcelona City Council has published the new book Gegants i gegantes de Barcelona. 52 retallables, with cut-outs of all the costumes worn by the couple since 1929, as well as other garments and accessories. The book comes in a sleeve which contains a bookmark of the Laia mini-giant, a block with all the giants ready to cut out and a book containing the history and curious facts for all the figures. The book with cut-outs of Barcelona’s giants costs ten euros and is available from city bookshops, the municipal bookshop in the Sala Ciutat and other specialised centres such as the Casa dels Entremesos.

 

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