11th May is Sant Ponç (Saint Pontius). Since the Middle Ages, on this day, many towns and cities in Catalonia celebrate markets dedicated to medicinal herbs. May is the maximum point of blooming for most medicinal herbs, and Saint Pontius is the patron saint of herbalists and bee-keepers.
These markets were already celebrated before around these dates, but it was in the 16th century that the date was fixed on Saint Pontius’ Day. In Barcelona (Catalonia), there’s a legend that explains the relation. According to the tradition, Saint Pontius lived in the 3rd century AD, when he was persecuted by the Romans for being Christian. He escaped and arrived to Barcelona, where he saw that there were many poor and ill people. For this reason, he immediately started preparing potions with the medicinal herbs that he knew so well. This way, he quickly became very respected and admired by the Barcelonian people, who started celebrating an annual festivity of medicinal herbs in his honour.
Nowadays, in most of these markets you can also find honey, candied fruit, jam, artisanal cheese, and other products related to health besides the medicinal herbs.
[The photos above are from the fair in Barcelona and Mataró, respectively.]
