Attention! Three, two, one… now! The traffic light has turned red, like Santa Claus’s dress. And madness breaks out on Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia. Hundreds of people who were waiting closely on the sidewalk rush down to the playing field, that is, to the road. Alone, as a couple, in groups… there are combinations for all tastes. What never fails is a mobile phone in one’s hand, whether in one’s own, to immortalize the moment with an individual or collective selfie, or in that of a portraitist friend sometimes loaded with infinite patience. Of course, in the thousands, or millions, of photographs that have been taken since November 23 on Passeig de Gràcia starting at 5:30 p.m., in all of them, the Christmas lights that illuminate the street appear twinkling. It will be a blanket of stars, a milky way of LEDs for a street that this year celebrates its 200th anniversary.
People’s actions to invade the road have not gone unnoticed on social networks. He has so much cell phone in hand. And some videos have already gone viral on TikTok, where comments with little Christmas spirit abound. From “what a shame you are” to “you can’t be more stupid”.
It is clear that when this lighting decoration, as simple as it is spectacular, was designed, little did it occur that it would end up becoming one of the city’s Christmas attractions year after year. And it’s free for Barcelonans and tourists, which is a lot. Maybe that’s why, because it wasn’t thought about. But given the success, it would not be bad to consider next year some measure that would allow intrepid models and photographers to go out into the sand without the risk of being bitten by a lion. Because more than one driver roars, especially bus drivers, that social type whose esteem has no middle ground: either they adore each other because they wait for you when they see you running, or they hate each other because they activate the door closing alarm before anyone can. lower.
The attraction’s schedule is also fair. The lights turn off, like all lights, at 10 p.m. on weekdays and at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for ecological reasons. We know that we have to save energy. But it’s Christmas! And as one of the comments on the networks about the phenomenon says: “Yes, we are crazy but happy once a year.” And once a year, it doesn’t hurt.
