Even in the darkest moments of winter (weather or life) there is somewhere a light, however small, that reminds us that there is still hope. The light could come from the winter sun or perhaps from this Christmas star in Plaça de Sant Jaume, which also symbolises natural harmony and the complexity of the universe. This is the most contemporary proposal for Plaça de Sant Jaume this Christmas, but there are also traditional proposals. Come and see it from 29 November to 5 January.

The star that decorates the square, which has been called Origen by its authors, is a joint creation of the digital creator, teacher and researcher Àlex Posada and the architect, artist and professor Xevi Bayona Camó. They have imagined the relationship between humans and the stars and have captured it in a twenty-point, perfectly geometrical gigantic star made of iron, methacrylate and LED lights. Five of the points are placed on the ground and the rest point towards the universe, a symbol of the thousand and one paths that light follows and that speak to us about the complexity of the cosmos.

Come and see the star between 6.30 p.m. and 10 p.m., and bring a mobile phone to scan a QR code and a headset. Every thirty minutes, you will enjoy a five-minute light show with music and a sound effect designed specifically for this creation. The lights from the star will illuminate the façades of the Town Hall and the Generalitat, which have agreed this year to make a joint garland (plant and light) that turns the square into a Christmas hotspot.

The Origen star, however, is not the only protagonist of Christmas in Plaça de Sant Jaume, since, in the Town Hall building, and more specifically in the Pati de Carruatges, you can see a traditional nativity scene, the one that the Associació de Pessebristes de Barcelona (Association of Nativity Scene Makers of Barcelona) makes every year. This year, the nativity scene is dedicated to the Mediterranean Sea, which has just hosted the America’s Cup, and to the relationship that the poet Joan Salvat-Papasseit, who died a hundred years ago, had with it. He lived in an orphanage in the port, he worked as a watchman on the docks and dedicated some extremely beautiful poems to the port landscapes. Come and look for the trace of Salvat-Papasseit in this nativity scene, but also look for Sant Francesc, the saint who, according to tradition, passed through Barcelona and spent some time in a convent close to the sea (between Plaça de Medinaceli and La Rambla). The convent, which has now disappeared, bore the name of the saint (Convent de Sant Francesc or de Framenors) until 1837, when it was destroyed in a popular uprising. You can visit the nativity scene in the Pati dels Carruatges, with free admission, between 29th November and 5th January (closed on 25th December and 1st January) from Monday to Friday, from 11 am to 7 pm and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 11 am to 8 pm.

Also in the square you will find a large Christmas tree fifteen metres high. It has been put up by Mercabarna, in collaboration with florist Xavier Lloveras (head of a local shop that has been in operation since 1891). You can see that the garlands are full of symbolism and that the tree as a whole pays homage to the magic of the stars, in harmony with the large sculptural star from the square.

Cross the square and, on 14 and 15 December, you can visit the Palau de la Generalitat, which is open for two days from 12 to 8 pm. You can visit the building’s rooms and also see how it has been decorated for Christmas. Moreover, from 16 to 20 December, from 5 to 9 p.m., in the Pati Gòtic de la Generalitat, there will be a children Tió de Nadal, a nativity scene, once again the work of the Associació de Pessebristes de Barcelona, and Christmas trees.

If you want to enjoy Christmas in the most authentically Barcelona way… be sure to visit Plaça de Sant Jaume, but first check out all the information about the activities on the Barcelona City Council’s Christmas website.