'ELS FOGUERONS DE SANT ANTONI DE SA POBLA', GRÀCIA

The Grandma contemplates the Correfoc (Fire run)

Today, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma have enjoyed with the Majorcan community in Barcelona, which has celebrated Sant Antoni, a traditional and popular festival in the island.  

Barcelona is formed by ten districts and more than 70 neighbourhoods.

One of the most active neighbourhoods is Gràcia, where people usually occupy squares and streets to celebrate cultural events.

Before visiting Gràcia, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practice manual (Vocabulary 8).

More information: Vocabulary 8-Food & Drink

The Sant Antoni bonfire festival held in Gràcia is actually a Mallorcan tradition that has been brought to this Barcelona neighbourhood. It consists mainly of some exhibitions of popular culture from the Principality and Mallorca performed, for example, by capgrossos, xeremiers, castellers and diables -groups of big-headed figures, pipers, human-tower builders and firework-toting devils. Even though this tradition has been imported, it is now firmly established in the Gràcia neighbourhood and local people treat it as their own.

Three days of events and activities kick off at the Centre Artesà Tradicionàrius with Mallorcan folk songs and a chance to taste some of the typical food you can eat on the island. The centre holds a dance and concert with groups from Mallorca as a warm-up for the celebrations the following day.

Preparing the dinner in Plaça del Diamant, Gràcia

Because on Saturday evening there is a big cercavila and correfoc –a musical procession and fire run– staged by popular culture groups from sa Pobla and Gràcia, plus the odd guest sometimes. This procession is accompanied by the festival organisers from the district town hall to Plaça de la Virreina, where they light a big bonfire for a night of fire-roasted sausages, folk dances and folk songs with a Mallorcan label. The festival is held in honour of St Anthony who, according to tradition, is the patron saint of animals, especially hoofed animals. Legend has it that he was a great friend of animals and, when he saw one that was injured, he took care of it.

More information: Illes Balears

The Feast of St Anthony is held on 17 January, the day he died. However, the Mallorca festival is copied in Gràcia on the last weekend in January, because the popular culture groups from Sa Pobla –the caparrots, the dimonis d’Albopàs and the xeremiers  (pipers)– can come over then.

Antoni Torrens, a Sa Pobla resident who received the Barcelona Medal of Honour in 1997, suggested building a bonfire like those in Mallorca in Plaça de Diamant in 1992 so his sons, who were studying in Barcelona, could enjoy this revetlla mallorquina, a festival-eve celebration from the island.

Since then, more streets have joined in each year with their own bonfires, more of the local popular culture groups have got involved and the festival has developed into what it is today.

Have you ever wandered among bonfires in the streets of Barcelona in the midst of winter? Have you ever eaten sausages cooked over an open fire in the middle of a square? If you haven't and you'd like to tick that off your list of things to do in your lifetime, don't miss the Sa Pobla a Gràcia celebration.

Enjoying a Mallorcan dinner

Sa Pobla is a small town in Mallorca, where, every year for the feast day of Saint Anthony, they put on an ancestral and traditional party with bonfires, xeremiers who play types of flutes and bagpipes, plus ximbombes (friction drums), wandering poetry recitals and singers of traditional folk songs.

In 1993 the tradition made its way to the streets and squares of Barcelona's Gràcia neighbourhood, and ever since, the party has been a reason for natives of Mallorca, Menorca and Eivissa, and other Balearic islanders to come together and celebrate, whether they're just visiting or live in Barcelona.

With traditional dancing, food, music, and yes, bonfires called foguerons in the middle of the street, get ready to join one of the most traditional festivals in Mallorca, without leaving Barcelona.

Although Saint Anthony's feast day is January 17, the Gràcia bonfires are lit the last weekend of the month so that groups from Sa Pobla come from Mallorca over to Barcelona for the celebration. This year the big day is last Saturday of January. Things kick off at noon with a session of folk music in the Lesseps, Estrella, Llibertat and Abaceria markets, with Mallorcan xeremiers and glossadors. At night activities get underway when the groups all meet up in Plaça de la Vila for traditional dances that lead into the parade, which sets out for Plaça de la Virreina. There, the bonfires are lit and the party really gets started.

If you're interested in more, before the big day there are plenty of related activities on as well. At the Centre Artesà Tradicionàrius (C.A.T.) bar, there is a tasting of Mallorcan products, brought to you by Glosadors de les Illes and Cor de Carxofa. The show is shared among three centres in Gràcia: the C.A.T., La Violeta de Gràcia and the Orfeó Gracienc.

There will be a traditional Mallorcan dance, ball de bot, by a historic group from the Islands, S'Estol des Gerricó and it possible to take a class to learn the most traditional Mallorcan dances, and then put them into practice in the square.

More information: Mallorca Photoblog

With patience and persistence, even the smallest act 

of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become 

a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life. 

In fact, that's how most bonfires begin, as a simple spark.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf