February 10 – 12, 2017 –
Friends John and Eileen arrived in Barcelona with plans to join us to go explore the Spain’s Basque region and Rioja wines. First, we enjoyed a weekend in Barcelona celebrating the Feast of St. Eulalia, the patron saint of Barcelona, one of the biggest festivals of the year. 
It is an all weekend party with events for both adults and children.
The opening parade included the traditional gigantes (giants), figures made of paper mache and carried by a human underneath the skirt and guides alongside. They move amazingly smoothly considering their size, and even dance. Different gigants represent different neighborhoods or associations. After dark comes the “fire-run”, which includes small floats on wheels, loaded with gigantic sparklers shooting sparks into the air like a fire hose. 
Each float carries 25-50 sparklers and has a group assigned to quickly replenish the burned out sparklers with fresh ones and light them. As each one burns out it gives off a loud bang which reverberates through the crowd off the surrounding masonry. Between each float is a drumming group, in matching colors, thumping their way through Jaume Square.
The real draw is on Sunday morning when the Castellers – human castle builders – take center stage in the square. Each of the twenty or so teams represents a neighborhood in Barcelona. Teams practice all year long for this event. 
They include men, women, and even children for their small size. They form a human castle with the largest group of men holding up the rest of the group and a group of men holding them straight under the weight. Groups reach up to seven humans high, at which point two small children scramble up the backs of each layer to the top, puts their hands in the air to declare victory for the judges before quickly shimmying back down. It is hard not to hold your breath watching, hoping that no one falls.