From October 29 to November 7, the festivities of the city of Girona are celebrated in honor of Sant Narcís, patron saint of the city. For ten days, you will be able to find craft and food stalls, fairground attractions, musical and theatrical performances, concerts, sardanes (typical regional dance), encounters of giants, performances by the castellers (people who make human towers) and fireworks castles, among many other activities.
It is said that Sant Narcís was born in the city of Girona (which then had the name “Gerunda”). Having become a preacher, he and his deacon Felix visited the region of the Alps and Germany, and he settled in Augsburg (Germany), a city of which he is also patron saint. In the 4th century, when he returned to Girona, Sant Narcís was martyred with his deacon and many other faithful in the same place where the church of Sant Feliu was later built.
He is known for “the miracle of the flies”. According to the legend of Sant Narcís, in 1285, the French troops of King Felipe III that besieged Girona managed to enter the city. In Sant Feliu, they desecrated the tomb of Sant Narcís and thousands of flies came out of the inside to attack the French soldiers. The fly bites killed 4,000 horses and 20,000 soldiers and drove out the remaining soldiers, saving the city from foreign rule.
Thanks to this, Sant Narcís is represented surrounded by flies and this animal became an icon to represent the city of Girona. This episode left the sayings “Per Sant Narcís, cada mosca val per sis” (for Sant Narcís, each fly is worth six flies) and “Les mosques, per Sant Narcís, a cada picada en maten sis” (for Sant Narcís, each fly bite kills six people).
In 2020, the city of Girona suspended all activities of Sant Narcís festivities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the events scheduled for these dates will be recovered.
Sant Narcís festivities begin on Thursday, October 29 with a parade and the reading of the proclamation of the festivities from the balcony of the city hall. Next, firecrackers are thrown in Plaça del Vi.
During the festivities, an amusement park is set up in Parc de la Devesa, which has one of the tallest ferris wheels in Europe. Free concerts are held on two stages located in La Copa (Parc de la Devesa) and Parc del Migdia. This year there will be a single “barraca”, a bar managed by different entities from Girona to drink, eat and dance between the concerts.
On October 29, the day of Sant Narcís, a religious ceremony dedicated to the saint is celebrated in the basilica of Sant Feliu, presided over by the bishop and with the assistance of the civil authorities. The assistants collect a bag with blessed cotton, which heals earache, and they allow themselves to kiss the few relics dedicated to the saint that remain in the chapel.
Girona Cathedral is also one of the most emblematic places in the city during these festivities. Since 1997, the traditional climb of the castellers “els Marrecs de Salt” making a pillar of 4 people up the stairs of the cathedral has been carried out. The stairs of Girona Cathedral also become the setting for the “Cathedral Sprint”, a race against the clock climbing the 90 stone steps of the cathedral.
Within the framework of the “Els Quatre Rius festivity” (a project of several associations and entities of Girona with the aim of making these festivals more popular), the descent of artisanal rafts (“andròmines aquàtiques”) down the Onyar river is also organized. It can be seen from the bridges of the river Onyar between Plaça Catalunya and Plaça de Sant Feliu.
On the second Sunday of the festivities, on November 7, the fireworks display dismisses the Sant Narcís festivities until the following year. Fontajau bridge is one of the best spots to watch the fireworks.
In addition to all these events, exhibitions are held at Casa de Cultura, Centre Cultural La Mercè, Casa Masó and the Museum of History, among many others.
For more information on the festivities, you can consult the website of the Girona City Council.
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