The Pi neighbourhood's festa major, also known as the Festa de Sant Josep Oriol, is held round 23 March in the streets and squares surrounding the local church, Santa Maria del Pi.

It is a brief but lively festival, packed with popular culture and activities that appeal to all ages. Most involve the Gegants del Pi, some of the oldest giants in Catalonia: the first reference to Mustafa and Elisenda dates back to 1601 and, in the case of Oriol and Laia, to 1780.

For three days there are re-enactments of the legend of the saint and the robberies carried out by the Catalan highwayman Perot Rocaguinarda, who lived in the neighbourhood and left his mark there. Other highlights include a couple of musical processions, the evening cercavila led by the Gegants and Gegantons del Pi and the cercavila dels Oriols. Above all there is the trobada de gegants, capgrossos i bestiari , a gathering and final dance by these giants, big heads and beasts that brings a whole weekend of celebrations to a close.

Reason

The festival pays tribute to Sant Josep Oriol, who was born and lived in Ciutat Vella in the second half of the 17th century. This saint, much worshipped in the neighbourhood, was noted for his devotion to the sick and the poor, as well as for being very austere, to the point where he earned the nickname Doctor Pa i Aigua (Dr Bread and Water).

Origins

The Festa de Sant Josep Oriol has been held since 1995, when the Associació d’Amics dels Gegants del Pi, together with the neighbourhood's residents and traders, decided to remember the saint with a series of acts around his feast day.