Fairs, cowherd boys, games and theater to celebrate Christmas

With December comes the cold and the desire to be at home near the fireplace or heating, but these dates allow us to discover Christmas traditions that are celebrated in Catalonia. Surely one or the other will fall near your home for a weekend visit. We bring you fairs, markets, shepherds, more traditional and relevant cribs, for all ages and for all tastes!

To all the towns and cities of Catalonia during the month of December and especially the days close to Christmas, there is some curious or entertaining tradition or party to go and watch. In addition to the light fittings that each town or even each family puts to fill with colors the cold nights of the month of December. From femTurisme we will highlight some of the oldest and most relevant acts that are part of the identity of Catalonia, but do not forget to see what they do in their municipalities and surroundings.

Since the beginning of December...

The Santa Lucia Fair in Barcelona opens its doors on November 29 until December 23 from 10 am to 10 pm around the Barcelona Cathedral. This fair has been recorded since 1786 that were already installed posts of trees, livestock and sewing, thus becoming the oldest fair in Catalonia. Currently, the stops are grouped by sectors; the crafts, the garrisons and the calls of the green, where you can find moss, holly, firs, cork bark... indispensable elements for a good manger.

For Christmas another obligatory date is the Living Cribs that are organized in most towns of Catalonia. A set of scenes from the birth of Jesus, accompanied by a number of volunteers, mostly neighbors of the people, who are surrounded by atmosphere music and dialogues in incomparable environments!

Moving away slightly from the capital, 30 minutes by car, we can go to see the Living Nativity of Corbera de Llobregat. On weekends and holidays between December 6 and January 11, the personified representation of the birth of the Messiah will take place from the hand of more than 200 actors who show the different scenes. The crib of Corbera is considered the first in Catalonia, celebrated in 1962 and uninterrupted until now. Since then visitors can feel part of the representation when walking among forests, rivers, fires and shepherds to observe the different scenes. Admission is 10 euros and the performances are made every hour between 6pm and 8pm.

Going north on the C-17 we will arrive at Vic where the Medieval Market is held from December 4 to 8 . This event dresses the city of medieval ornaments once it starts the Christmas activities. Between the narrow streets and a rich artistic heritage of the old town of Vic we will find the fair with the exhibition of ancient crafts, natural gastronomy, theater and live music, craft stalls... We can walk from 10am to 9pm Free entrance.

From the 6th of December until the 14th, the Espinelves Spruce Fair will take place. This fair is held since the early eighties and is essentially a place to buy spruce trees grown in the area of Espinelves to use as Christmas trees. We will also find different exhibitions and a fair of natural products and handicrafts with samples of live production. The organization of the Fair makes a careful selection of the participants to guarantee the quality of the products that we can acquire in it.

The municipality of Espinelves (Osona) 20 minutes from Vic, retains its Romanesque character, especially for the good condition of the church of San Vicente de Espinelves maintained since the twelfth century.

We can visit the exhibition from 10 to 2/4 of 8 in the afternoon on holidays and Saturdays, and from 10 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon on weekdays. It is recommended the visit during the week to avoid crowds.

Remember that after Christmas the city councils of Catalonia open spaces to all the municipalities where they leave the firs to replant them.

From the second weekend of December...

The weekend of December 20 and 21 is celebrated in Vilafranca, La Feria del gallo del Penedès. This event organized by Santo Tomás was traditionally a buying and selling market for native birds (Penedès rooster and Penedès duck) raised in a traditional way. The passage of time and the cooling of the agriculture sector will almost disappear during the eighties but in the nineties the fair is rekindled thanks to the Municipal Board of Commerce and Tourism of Vilafranca. Currently, it includes craft stalls from other sectors, the Poultry and Red Wine Sample of the Penedès Designation of Origin and the Festival Bestiary Exhibition .

Taking the Transversal Axis (C-25) towards Lleida we will reach Calaf. This municipality is known for the representation of Pastorets that is made during the Christmas holidays for a century. More than 100 actors represent 18 scenes of the birth of Jesus and other biblical characters; angels, demons, shepherds... in a scenario of more than 100m ^2. Equally to other towns of Catalonia and we find very old, centennial representations, of the Pastors is the case of Ripoll, Manresa and Mataró.

In all cases the performances begin on Christmas day and can be seen on weekends until the beginning of January.

The last days of December, different games for all ages...

For eight years the last weekend of December, 27 and 28, the JocJoc Fair has been organized in Tona (Barcelona) , a place dedicated to presenting and promoting different and quality toys. This exhibition aims to offer a concept of alternative play that is sold from commercial circuits enhancing originality, quality, values ​​and addressing all ages. Taking advantage of the event, shows, a contest to create toys, stories are explained..., we recommend discovering this fair with the little ones through the streets of Tona.