No need to plead – the rain is here!
Last year, 2024, a rain procession took place in the streets of Perpignan to bring on the rain
The procession last year took place in order to plead with Saint Galdric, (various spellings possible) patron saint of Catalans, for rain. It was led by the Bishop of Perpignan-Elne, Mgr Thierry Scherre, and joined amongst others by farmers, winegrowers and breeders. They must have been keeping an eye on the weather forecast because lo and behold, it rained that same week for the first time in ages!
The Origins
In the 10th century, Sant-Galdric was canonised in Narbonne during a terrible drought. A procession was organised for his canonisation and his body (he was dead at the time) was brought in by the Bishop of Toulouse. During the procession, as the bearers of Sant-Galdric’s shrine passed by, a spring of water gushed out just beneath the shrine. Had to be a miracle.
In fact, when Sant-Galdric’s relics arrived in the Pyrénées-Orientales in 1014, several ‘miracles’ were recorded, including the amazing cure of a paralysed person in Vinça. After that, one of the saint’s ribs was kept in the small town and believers would parade from Saint-Martin-du-Canigó to the plains to immerse the relic in water where the river Têt meets the Mediterranean, near Sainte-Marie-la-Mer.
Hundreds of processions took place over the years, and the ‘Brotherhood of Saint Gaudérique’, was formed. The tradition died out during the French Revolution but was revived in 2023.