Fira de Santa Llúcia

Dating from 1786, this traditional Christmas fair has expanded to more than 300 stalls, selling all manner of handcrafted Christmas decorations and gifts, along with mistletoe, poinsettias and Christmas trees. The most popular figure on sale for nativity scenes is the curious Catalan figure of the caganer (literally, the crapper), a small figure crouching over a steaming turd with his trousers round his ankles. While the original caganer figure depicted a typical Catalan peasant taking time off from his work in the fields to attend to the call of nature, modern variations incorporate an element of satire on current affairs, and you can now find depictions of politicians and even members of some royal families. As well as items for nativity scenes, the market has stalls selling a variety of craftwork products ranging from handmade jewellery to hand-woven textile products and wooden toys.