Here are summaries of the most popular articles in this section and sub-sections : La Chandeleur - February Pancake Day Dating back to roman times, La Chandeleur (Candlemas), the Feast of the presentation of Jesus, used to mark the end of the Christmas season and is celebrated 40 days after Christmas on the 2nd February. The tradition was to light a candle in the church and carry it home without (...) read more... Carnaval (February/March) Carnival Time ’Come on take me to the Mardi Gras’ Hundred of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent. Because Catholics are not supposed to eat meat during Lent, they (...) read more... Diada de Catalunya - September 11th September - throughout the region Diada de Catalunya The 11th September, the Diada de Catalunya, is a national holiday throughout Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. This date is in fact the anniversary of the day in 1714 when the Franco-Spanish army captured Barcelona, bringing an (...) read more... La galette des rois - December La Fête des Rois (Three Kings Day) The French tradition of serving a frangipane filled tart known as the ’galette des rois’ (or the gateau des rois in the South of France) on, or around the 6th January, (the first Sunday of each New Year) actually dates back to the 14th century. (...) read more... Fête de l’Ours - Prats de Mollo - February Fete de l’Ours et carnaval de Prats de Mollo A not to be missed yearly event click to enlarge The location Built on the banks of the river Tech, surrounded by mountains, Prats de Mollo was one of the most importan read more... A region steeped in tradition The rich and varied historical heritage of Catalonia means that the Pyrenees-Orientales is a region steeped in tradition. Festivals and regular events, many of them having their origins in the distant past, serve both to unify Catalan society and give visitors and inhabitants a reason to (...) read more... Midsummer Madness - Els Focs de la Sant Jean Midsummer Madness - Els Focs de la Sant Jean Basil Howitt discovers to his surprise that the revival of Catalonia’s summer solstice festival on Mount Canigou was inspired by a rugby victory. He also throws in a few Catalan recipes enjoyed during the festival preparations at the Canigou (...) read more... Fête de la Musique - June Fete de la Musique - June Every year around the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, both amateur and professional musicians from all over the world perform free concerts in venues throughout France. The festival aims to celebrate music in all forms and is open to anyone It all (...) read more... Pirena - Font Romeu - January International dog team racing The Pirena, a *’mushing’ or dog slege pulling race takes place on the cross country ski pistes of La Calme in Font Romeu. This is just one of the stages of the dog sleigh race which is an inter-frontier event and very popular in southern (...) read more... Rivesaltes Apricot Festival - July Fête de l’Abricot July Rivesaltes Rivesaltes is not only famous for its sweet fortified wine, it is also well known for its apricots. Every July, the town celebrates the fruit with a festival of apricot tasting, apricot jam, apricot eating competitions, apricot drinking (look out for (...) read more...

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