Ben Pawlowski
HUNDREDS of giant effigies were paraded through Barcelona’s famous streets over the weekend in a bizarre, wacky and unique Catalunyan tradition that dates back 600 years.
On Sunday, thousands of locals and inquisitive tourists lined the Passeig de Lluis Companys, the boulevard that links the iconic Arc de Triomf to Parc de la Ciutadella, for an action-packed afternoon of cultural celebration.
The event is called the National Meeting of Gegantes – also known as giants – and has taken place in the north-eastern corner of Spain for over six centuries.
On April 28, over 230 giants amassed together to celebrate 600 years since the first written reference of giants in Barcelona.
Four parades started from different points within the city – Parc de la Ciutadella, Placa d’Urquinaona, El Born and Parc de l’Estacio de Nord – before uniting on Passeig de Lluis Companys.
Each giant was led along by a group from a different part of Catalunya, with members taking it in turns to carry the structures on their shoulders.
At the meeting point, the giants were greeted by a fanfare thanks to a band on stage, an MC, and thousands of people watching on with intrigue and fascination.
The giants then participated in a communal dance to round off the festivities.
Sunday’s celebration came just five days after Dia de Sant Jordi, one of the most important dates in the Catalan calendar, which saw hundreds of thousands of locals hit the city’s famous streets in search of books and roses, traditionally gifted to loved ones every year.
