The beautiful beaches and wonderful weather of Sitges make it a place people naturally want to visit. On top of the location and sunshine, Sitges is also known for hosting a variety of festivals and events throughout the year, including Carnival, a film festival, a gay pride festival, a vintage car rally, etc. Some of the festivals are local in origin and unique in the celebrations they offer.
One of those is the Corpus Christi Festival, held yearly in May or June. While Corpus Christi is a religious event, it is also a time to decorate the town with flowers from top to bottom while also holding amazing processions through the streets.
Floral Carpets for Corpus Christi
One of the traditions of Corpus Christi in Sitges is that different groups of people come together to make floral designs that cover the streets of the Old Quarter of the city. In a 24-hour period, they sketch out a design on the ground, and then use nothing but flower petals and other natural products such as nuts and leaves to make what are known as “carpets,” ranging in size from about 10 feet by 10 feet to some that appear to be over 100 feet long.
The groups are all competing for prizes awarded by judges. Each street wants to claim it had the winning carpet. On Sunday, the carpets are roped off and visitors are allowed to walk up and down the streets marveling at the stunning displays of color and design.
While enjoying the floral pictures on the ground, visitors are also surrounded by flowers above as well. During the festival, there is also a contest for the best decorated balcony. Those living in the small streets of the Old Quarter decorate their balconies with flowers and flags to create a wonderful atmosphere for the festival.
Parade of the Giants for Corpus Christi
On Sunday evening, the streets of Sitges go from being a place to look at the flowers on the ground to a place to look up at the “Giants” which are parading through the streets. The Giants appear to be over 10 feet tall and are carried by groups of local residents who take turns getting inside of them and lifting them up before walking and even dancing around the streets.
Two of the giants represent a Moorish king and queen while two others represent a Spanish king and queen. There are also two smaller models carried by women which represent the “Cubanitos” who left Sitges to find fortune in Cuba before returning to build beautiful mansions in the town.
As the Giants parade through the streets, they are followed by bands of men and boys playing drums and woodwind instruments. Visitors can wander the tiny streets and get a front row view as the parade comes through.
Religious Procession for Corpus Christi
After the Parade of the Giants, the final event of Corpus Christi is a religious procession later in the evening. The parade begins at the main church overlooking the beach and continues through the streets of the Old Quarter of the city. It is led by a group of men in traditional dress who form elaborate human-pyramid-type formations as they move through the streets. There are also a variety of others in the procession, including religious leaders and artifacts from the church.
As the religious procession moves through the town, the participants trample over the floral carpets to end the festival.
Sitges is a beautiful place near Barcelona to visit to experience a variety of festivals. On