Events

Here you can find the main events that we celebrate throught the year, keep in touch with our mailing list if you want to be part of them. We will send you the date and location by mail. Would you like to help in the organization? Conntact the officers at catalonia-officers@mit.edu.

Sant Jordi - April 23th

Our version of Valentin's Day, the Lover's day. The tradition is that men give a red rose to their lover, and receive a book in exchange. Nowadays everybody receives books regardles of their gender. Books and roses have nothing in common in fact. By coincidence, April 23th is the Intarnational Book Day, coinciding with the deaths of Sheakspere and Cerevantes, and we celebrate the two things together.

Sant Joan - June 24th

Sant Joan is on June 24th, but the real festivity happens the night before. It celebrates the Summer solstice, the shorter night in the year (approx). Catalans will light big bonfires several meters high, throw firecraker and lit flares. The traditional food for day is the Coca de Sant Joan.

Diada - September 11th

It is our national day, sadly coinciding with the 911 terrorist attacks in the World Trade Center. Most countries celebrate their independence day, in our case, we celebrate the day we lost it. On that day in 1714, the Bourbon troops seized Barcelona, which marked a landmark in the Succession War in Spain. On that day, for several years, the independentist movement has organized some of the biggest demonstrations in Europe, grouping around 2M people claiming for an independence referendum.

La Castanyada - November 1st

Our version of Halloween. We celebrate the death people that have left us by going to the cementery and bringing them flowers. In parallel, we celebrate the fall by eating chestnuts, roasted sweet potatoes and panellets