According to an ancient legend that has endured over the years, on the night of September 24, 1218, the Virgin appeared simultaneously to King James I, Saint Peter Nolasco and Saint Ramón de Penyafort to ask them to create a new religious order. to save Christians in those times of war.
The Order of Our Lady of Mercy would be founded that same year by San Pedro Nolasco in 1218 for the redemption of Christian captives in the hands of Muslims.
A few centuries later, in 1687, Barcelona suffered a plague of locusts and was entrusted to the Virgin of Mercè. Once the plague was over and, convinced that the invocation to the Virgin had had an effect, the City Council named her patron saint of Barcelona, although this decision would not be ratified by Pope Pius IX until two centuries later, in 1868.
After that, Barcelona began to celebrate its festivals in September. It was Francesc de Paula Rius i Taulet, then future mayor of Barcelona, who promoted the first Mercè festival, which in 1871 adopted a civic character and included popular celebrations aimed at citizens.
Currently, La Mercè is a festival that takes place simultaneously in a large number of public spaces with a program focused on Mediterranean culture where street art, parades and concerts as well as the most deeply rooted popular traditions will be the main protagonists.
During these festivals, the most traditional activities are a compendium of the popular culture of all of Catalonia. They feature the Girona sardana, the castells and the devils of Camp de Tarragona, dances that are still alive today throughout Catalonia.
The parades are perhaps the most anticipated spectacle. The drums announce the passage of the giants through the streets of Barcelona, recalling the meeting of the three cultures as well as the Correfoc devils that come from the parades of devils that were accompanied by gunpowder from the Levante tradition.
The stamp represents the poster for the 2023 La Mercè festivities designed by Chamo San (Barcelona, 1987), artist and illustrator. His work, with a marked figurative style, has been exhibited in galleries in Europe and North America. The poster for the 2023 Mercè festivities, which bears his signature, represents a human castle inspired by the iconic Catalan tradition of the "castellers". The complete poster, which has 120 characters, seeks to highlight the union and diversity of a society that merges into a single element to enjoy popular festivals with joy, solidarity and collective work, also highlighting iconic elements and characters of the city. from Barcelona.
