Santa Eulalia's Festival, Celebrating the bravery of a child

The story of Eulalia dates back to ancient days of Christian persecution in Barcelona, during the era of Roman emperor Diocletian. Eulalia was a young Christian that lived in the countryside of Barcelona which is now called Sarrià. Eulalia was a strong human rights activist who refused to recant her faith in Christianity, speaking out against the dictatorship of emperor Diocletian. For this reason, she was subjected to severe torture by the Roman army. As a result of the torture she endured, Eulalia died on February 12^th, 303.

Santa Eulalia’s Festival takes celebrates the life of this brave young girl and her incredible actions. During the festival, an important Catalan tradition of raising the flag, “Peno de Santa Eulalia”, occurs. Peno de Santa Eulalia is the banner of Santa Eulalia is one the city’s main symbols.

Kids particularly enjoy Santa Eulalia’s Festival because several games and activities like puppet shows, storytelling, concerts and famly workshops take place all through the city, many of them at Ciutat Vella, where Eulalia lived. The festival usually features parades with gegants, and other traditional Catalan activities like castellets, sardanas, and correfocs.

If you’re an expat currently living in Barcelona, and not so much aware of the historical significance of Santa Eulalia and the flag, then it might behoove you to stop by your nearest bookstore and get a few facts.

Here are some of the bookstores where you can find books in English in Barcelona:

Fnac

Diagonal Mar Centro Comercial – Avenida Diagonal, 3

El Triangle Centro Comercial – Plaça Catalunya, 4

Centre Comercial Arenas – Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes

Casa del Llibre

Passeig de Gràcia, 62.