fiesta mayor (ES) / festa major (CAT)

14:23 Jun 24, 2008 

Yes, I did actually say that it may be an untranslatable proper noun, thanks. And The Festa de Gràçia is a classic example (and one I know well, as I lived there for several years;.))

14:17 Jun 24, 2008 

I found this:
Friday, August 19, 2005
There have been three consecutive nights of rioting here in the Gracia district of Barcelona with the excuse of the neighborhood Fiesta Mayor, which kicked off Sunday night and runs for a week. The Fiesta Mayor is a century-old tradition in which the residents of different streets compete to see who can decorate theirs most attractively. The themes and their realization are typical high-school dance stuff most of the time, though real money goes into putting the Fiesta together; the budget is several hundred thousand euros, much of which comes from taxes. Traditionally, the various streets hire dance bands, hold public dinners, and have puppet shows and the like. Oh, by the way, they sell beer. Lots of beer. On the streets, with the money going to each street's decorating committee. The local bars also make plenty of money.