Igualada Revives the Tres Tombs Tradition with a Historic Carriage Parade

The Sant Antoni Abat festival, celebrated since 1822, will fill the streets with decorated horses and carts representing ancient trades.

Cavalls engalanats estirant un carruatge antic durant una desfilada tradicional en un carrer empedrat.

Cavalls engalanats estirant un carruatge antic durant una desfilada tradicional en un carrer empedrat.

The city of Igualada is celebrating the Tres Tombs festival this weekend, honoring Sant Antoni Abat with a parade of horses and carriages that recalls rural trades dating back to 1822.

The celebration, organized by the Antic Gremi de Traginers d’Igualada (Ancient Guild of Teamsters of Igualada), begins today and runs until Sunday, combining religious ceremonies, popular culture, and the traditional procession. This festival is one of the oldest in Catalonia, with origins tied to the founding of the Gremi de Sant Antoni Abat in 1822.
One of the main attractions of the Tres Tombs d’Igualada is its valuable heritage collection of about thirty carriages. Notably, this Sunday's parade will feature a cart loaded with bread, paying tribute to the ancient baker's trade.
In addition to the baker's cart, other carriages will evoke traditional activities, such as the pump cart (firefighters' cart), the skins cart, the wine barrel cart, and even the cart used for funeral services.
The parade will also include symbolic figures such as the pubilla (local representative), maids of honor, and the standard bearers. The latter will participate in an emblematic event on Saturday, carrying the flags to and from their homes, accompanied by the Banda de Música d’Igualada, trabucaires, and the stick dance group.
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