The 2025 Mercè festival finds itself once again threatened by rain. Bad weather is hardly an unexpected guest at Barcelona’s main festival, which this year runs from 23rd to 28th September. Each year, both Barcelonans and visitors keep a close eye on weather forecasts, as most activities and concerts take place outdoors, and September weather tends to be unpredictable.
Whilst 24th September, the day of the city’s co-patron saint, was marked by sunshine and pleasant weather, the coming days could bring showers. The recurring presence of rain during the Mercè festival has given rise to a popular legend in Barcelona known as ‘the tears of Santa Eulàlia’.
According to this tradition, the rain that often falls during the celebration of La Mercè represents the tears of Santa Eulàlia, the city’s original patron saint, who weeps because Barcelona celebrates its co-patron, the Virgin of Mercy. This belief reflects the symbolic rivalry between the two protective saints of the city.
The Mercè festival coincides with the end of summer, a period of meteorological transition that typically brings atmospheric instability to the region. This climatic coincidence has fed the legend over the years, creating a popular narrative that explains a recurring weather phenomenon.
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Source: El Periódico
