One of the best things about Spain is the way in which they uphold traditions. This can be seen though their commitment to continuing celebrations and festivals that have been taking place for decades. In a couple of weeks Valencia will be flooded with travellers for the Tomatina (check out our blog post for more details) , and just further north of the coastline in Barcelona an equally unique festival will be taking place: The Festa Major de Gràcia. A Festa Major is a community street festival celebrated by residents of a town. It is a typically Catalan celebration and normally includes a diverse programme of concerts, activities and markets. Barcelona was once a much smaller city (now known as the Ciutat Vella or Old City), surrounded by smaller towns, one of these towns being Gràcia. In the 19th century it was decided to expand Barcelona, incorporating these smaller towns to make one big city. Even though now Barcelona is united, the former towns still maintain their identities.