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Festival of saint Medir, the candy festival of Barcelona

I will say that this traditional festival is a good business for dentists because it is the sweeter local party that can be celebrated in Barcelona, particularly in the Gràcia and Sarrià Sant Gervasi districts.

Like all local festivals, there are all based either on legends or in real fact, in this case, there are both.

Let’s start by the legend one. Around the year 300 AC, the bishop Sever was running away from Barcelona. It was a time of persecution against christians during the roman period governed by the emperor Diocleciano Augusto. During his escape, he went to a village near Sant Cugat del Vallès where lived a peasant named Medir.

The guy was sowing beans when he met the bishop who explained him why he was fleeing and before to leave, he asked him to tell the truth to the romans about how they met and that they could find him few meters farther. When they came, he did what the bishop told him to say and once he told the truth, beans started to grow up and to blossom as if by miracle. At the end, romans arrested not only Sever but also Medir and both were martyred.

saint medir sant medir

The other face of the story is about Josep Vidal i Granés who opened a bakery on the gran de gràcia street, exactly at the number 111, in the Gràcia district in 1828. The guy was very sick and he promised that if he cured, each year on march 3, he would walk until the chapel situated in the Collserola Mountain to thank for the miracle and in 1830, he started his first pilgrimage.

Nowadays, it is the entire districts, well may be not all but a lot of people, who do this pilgrimage towards the saint medir chapel. The day starts at 10h in 2 different squares, the vila de gràcia square at Gràcia and the consell de la vila square at Sarrià.

candy festival candy festival

First, they will walk in their district, a kind to say, wake up everybody and let’s go together to the chapel and around noon, they will start to go there. When they will reach it, they will do a kind of offering then there is a big lunch with the neighborhoods of Sant Cugat.

At 20h, the parade will start in the Gràcia district first on the sant salvador street, then they will go to the nil i fabra street and next, they will walk down the gran de gràcia street to end to the nicolás salmerón square. There will have horses and carriages but the most important, a lot of candies.

saint medir candy festival

Meanwhile they are parading, they will throw them so be ready and above all, be quick because even if all streets will be totally full of candies, they will disappear as quickly as they will appear. So if you are at Barcelona on march 3rd, go to Gracia even if you don’t like sweet things or if you don’t have kids, you will enjoy this traditional party.