Majorca holidays

Illes Balears Balearic Nativity Scenes

spainholidays — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:48:31 +0000

December is on the way and with it comes Christmas, a time replete with celebrations, joy and traditions, such as mounting nativity scenes and displaying them in homes, churches and institutions.

Illes Balears - Balearic Nativity Scenes

Nativity scenes depict Jesus’ birth with small figures such as Mary, Joseph and the Child Jesus. Building and displaying nativity scenes forms part of the Christmas liturgy in many countries (Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Latin America and the United States), especially in the Catholic tradition.

Nativity scenes are mounted before Christmas, traditionally on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, with Mary and Joseph as the main figures surrounded by traditional shepherds, oxen mules, sand, palm trees, rivers and even snow. The figure of the Baby Jesus is added on Christmas Eve and the Magi are incorporated on January 6.

The origin of this Christmas tradition dates back to the thirteenth century, when a living re-enactment of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth was staged in a town in Italy, sometime between 1200 and 1226. From thereon in, the Church saw to it that nativity scenes were mounted in churches, homes or public places to strengthen faith and devotion.

One of the most exceptional nativity scenes in Mallorca is mounted in the Church of the Annunciation, considered one of Spain’s oldest. Its origin is unknown, but it is believed that it was created by the Alamanno brothers, woodcarvers who worked in Naples between 1460 and 1480. This nativity scene is mounted in the first chapel on the left in the church. Fifteenth-century figurines of Mary and Joseph and the sixteenth-century figure of the Baby Jesus are surrounded by several flying angels and others carrying instruments such as harps, flutes or organs, cherubim and an angel with a banner with La Gloria.

An eighteenth-century Neapolitan nativity scene in the Palau March contains figures from a number of different places that reproduce southern Italy’s natural scenery. It is installed in a display case in a polygonal room with decoration that frames the numerous figures and elements involved in Jesus’ birth.

The gigantic nativity scene at La Salle in Alaior, Menorca is famous for its depiction of the Menorcan landscape with dry stone walls, wooden gates that shut off the stockades, decoration inside the houses, smoke in the chimneys, fountains, rivers, wells and even thunder and lightning.

Ibiza is the site of an enormous nativity scene designed and crafted by specialised artists from all over Spain and installed in the tent on Paseo de Vara del Rey for the general public.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

Palma The Festa de l’Estendard – Banner Day

spainholidays — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:54:04 +0000

Every New Year’s Eve, Palma celebrates the Festa of l’Estendard to commemorate the incorporation of Mallorca to into Europe’s Christian kingdoms.

Palma de Mallorca: The Festa de l'Estendard – Banner Day

The Festa of l’Estendard commemorates the entry of troops under King James the Conqueror into the capital of Mallorca on December 31, 1229, heralding the end of Muslim power in the islands.

This celebration, which has been declared an Intangible Cultural Asset, is one of Europe’s oldest secular holidays, since it dates back to the thirteenth century.

The events surrounding the celebration kick off with the festival’s opening speech at Palma’s City Hall. On the following day, the institutions place a floral offering at the statue of Jaume I in Plaza de España, where a concert and popular street fair will take place.

The major, most traditional acts are celebrated on December 31. In the morning, the banner representing the Conquest of Mallorca and King Martí’s crest are placed in Plaza de Cort. Next, a large retinue made up of drummers, cossiers, cavallets, the Mallorca Council’s Joch de Ministrils and the Palma Town Band starts off for the Cathedral, where the Bishop of Mallorca celebrates a solemn thanksgiving mass.

At noon, Pere d’Alcàntara Penya’s play La Colcada, a historical romance that depicts the celebration of this holiday in the mid-nineteenth century it is performed in front of the Town Hall.

After this event, the city’s gold medals will be given out and the city of Palma will announce the list of illustrious citizens.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

Binissalem: Festa des Vermar, the grape harvest festival

spainholidays — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:03:27 +0000

In September, the month of the grape harvest, Binissalem celebrates its most important festival, the “Festa des Vermar”, which for nine days transforms this wine growing town into a hive of activity flowing with fine wine.

Mallorca - Binissalem: "Festa des Vermar", the grape harvest festival

This year it is celebrating it 38th edition, which makes it one of the oldest of its kind in Spain. Not in vain are we in one of the three most important wine-growing areas on the island, situated at the foot of the Sierra de Tramuntana. The municipality gives its name to the Binissalem-Mallorca Denomination of Origin, which the neighbouring regions also form part of.

The festival lasts for nine days and revolves around the fruit which has made this place famous for its wines, praised by the writer Jules Vernes already in the 19th Century. It begins with the welcoming of the grape harvesters at the Town Hall, accompanied by the “xeremiers” (traditional Majorcan musicians). There is an extensive programme of activities and the town becomes a colourful and lively place, full of visitors. Speech-making and chess contests, street bands, open-air celebrations, floats, a wine tasting contest and the International Painting Competition are some of the activities suggested.

Open-air celebrations and wine in the square

Its origins are related to Sant Gall, the symbol of fertility and so, on the last Sunday in September, the grape harvesters take the young mosto or unfermented grape juice to be blessed and to make an offering to the Virgin of Robines. In the afternoon there is an open-air celebration in the square and all those present are invited to drink wine.

This square lies at the foot of the magnificent church built of marble and veined marble, with an impressive Norman bell tower. Visitors should stroll around the town, declared a Historical-Artistic Monument in 1983, and take time to view its stately houses, especially those along the streets Calle Pere Estruch and Calle San Vicente de Paúl.

This festival has its typical dish, Fideus de Vermar (Grape Harvest Noodles), a very old recipe made with lamb. In the past it was customary to choose the oldest sheep of the flock, which the shepherds had taken special care of for months. This dish has a very strong flavour, although it is also very tasty. It can also be prepared with rabbit. It is delicious, even more so if accompanied by a fine wine from Binissalem.

More information: www.binissalem.org

The Festivity of Les Verges, St. Ursula’s Eve

spainholidays — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:00:57 +0000

On the evening of October 20, the streets fill with groups of young men who take advantage of the ancient tradition of serenading girls to meet, sing and enjoy traditional buñuelos, the local version of doughnuts.

Mallorca The Festivity of Les Verges – St. Ursula’s Eve

In the olden days, suitors would court their sweethearts by paying groups of musicians to serenade the maidens, who in turn, would give the musicians bunyols, a traditional type of light doughnut, and sweet wine.

This ancient tradition takes place on the Eve of St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins. St. Ursula was daughter of a British prince who was promised in marriage. After making a pilgrimage to Rome, legend has it that she and her retinue of damsels (their number is exaggerated perhaps to underscore the cruelty of the events) went to Cologne, where they found that the Huns had seized the city. The damsels were martyred when they would not consent to the occupiers’ carnal desires.

Nowadays, the celebration has become just one more excuse for young people to have a good time roaming through the streets of villages and towns on the eve of October 20. Some of the most popular celebrations take place in Búger, Marratxí, Porreres, Palma and Alcudia. Municipal bands even join in the fun in some villages. Songs popular with students and gifts of flowers have recently become part of the festivities, in addition to typical buñuelos and sweet wine. There are two main types of buñuelos: one kind is filled with whipped cream, custard or chocolate truffle and the others are made of fried potato dough.

The most traditional bunyols are made out of potato and/or sweet potato. From the days leading up to Santa Ursula and during a good part of the winter, buñuelos can be found at a number of stalls that specialise in this freshly made treat.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

The Chant of the Sybil

spainholidays — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:57:52 +0000

On Christmas Eve, to commemorate Jesus’ birth, Balearic churches celebrate the so-called Misa del Gallo or Matines, which is accompanied by the Chant of the Sybil, a medieval musical composition that prophesies the end of the world.

Mallorca - The Chant of the Sybil

The earliest testimony of the Chant of the Sybil (Cant de la Sibil.la in Catalan) with music and lyrics is a late-nineteenth or early-tenth-century manuscript from the monastery of San Marcial de Limoges in France.

A white-voiced child garbed in a tunic, embroidered silk robe and cap and bearing a large sword in her hands protagonises the chant. Among the most emblematic celebrations on the island of Mallorca are the Matines at the Sanctuary of Lluc and those in Majorca Cathedral.

The Chant of the Sybil was a medieval dramatisation at Christmas time that put down the deepest roots in the Spanish mainland and Catalonia, which took it to Mallorca with James I’s conquest. Yet, the Council of Trent banned the Chant of the Sybil and it disappeared from churches and was only maintained in Mallorca and the Alghero in Italy, where its widespread popularity ensured its survival.

The song was declared an Intangible Asset of Cultural Interest by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce on January 16, 2004.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

Palm Sunday all around Mallorca

spainholidays — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:54:08 +0000

All over Mallorca, Palm Sunday, or Sunday of the Passion, marks the beginning of Easter Week with palm fronds to commemorate Jesus Christ’s entry in Jerusalem.

: Mallorca – Palm Sunday all around Mallorca

Easter Week celebrations begin with an afternoon mass on Palm Sunday at Palma Cathedral followed by the procession of priests and believers who parade through the streets preceded by the Bishop of Palma while he blesses the palm fronds and olive branches belonging to the many spectators with holy water. It is customary to keep palm fronds that have been blessed at home to protect the family.

The mass in Palma Cathedral will be attended by many priests from all over Mallorca as well as the Bishop, who officiates the mass and renews the sacramental oil. These oils, which come from Bunyola, are blessed along with the bread, water and wine.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

Mare de Deu (Mother of God) festival

spainholidays — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:00:48 +0000

As tradition demands, a representation of the bed where the remains of the Virgin Mary lie is profusely decorated in the Churches, and on the following day they take her out in procession

Mallorca Mare de Deu (Mother of God) festival

Popular festivities in Majorca are a manifestation of the deep-rooted love of the most regional of traditions and proof that the people of Majorca live hand-in-hand with progress and current fashions, without diminishing their roots. If only one festival were to be highlighted from amongst the busy calendar of popular summer festivities, that event could be the August Mother of God Festivities (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) on 15th August.

This is only one of the four festivities dedicated to the Mother of God. During the August festivities the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary is commemorated. As tradition demands, a representation of the bed where the remains of the Virgin Mary lie is profusely decorated in the Churches, and on the following day they take her out in procession.

The celebrations take place in a multitude of places: Campos (including the celebration of the ‘Panxa Roja’ (Red Belly), Esporles (neighbourhood of Sa Vilanova), Portocolom, s’Illot (where the patron saint festivities also take place, lasting a whole week), Puigpunyent, Can Picafort (with the traditional releasing of the ducks), Cala d’Or, Caimari, Sencelles or Biniarix.

Note: the dates of the activities may vary considerably depending on the location.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

The Sant Tomas Fair and slaughtering day display in Sineu

spainholidays — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:58:00 +0000

The tradition of homemade sausage-making, a painstaking job that turned the need to conserve foods for the winter into a festive event, has survived in the Balearic Islands down the ages.

Mallorca - The Sant Tomas Fair and slaughtering day display in Sineu

Sineu holds its traditional Sant Tomas Fair along with a slaughtering day display on the second Sunday of December. An opportunity to get to know how its stellar product – sobrassada – is made and enjoy the lively atmosphere that surrounds this celebration.

In olden days, Balearic families slaughtered pigs to have meat and sausages all year round. Nowadays, needs are very different, but, thanks to sobrassada’s leading role in the Balearic diet, slaughtering day still brings family, friends and neighbours together for a festive holiday.

Families fatten their pigs for a year and make their preparations for the big day with the onset of cold weather: the butcher sacrifices the pig in the early hours of the morning and divides it up with the help of the youngest attendants: sobrassada is made by setting aside the pork bacon, hashing it with the meat and mixing it with paprika (to help the curing process) and other seasonings.

Other products are prepared as well, such as botifarrons (a paste of lean meat, heart, kidneys, fat, blood and different seasonings such as pepper, cinnamon and paprika stuffed in fine intestines and boiled in water), camaiots or manegots (a paste of lean meat and blood mixed with seasonings stuffed into a pork shank and cooked for 3 hours), pork bacon and paté.

In Menorca, pig-slaughtering is known as porquetjades menorquines and aside from sobrassada, carn-i-xulla, a cured sausage made out of thin ground strips of pork and little cubes of pork bacon marinated in salt and pepper that is always consumed fresh, is another popular dish. In 1993, the Balearic Government created the Sobrassada de Mallorca denomination and in 1996, the European Union recognised the Sobrassada de Mallorca denomination with its Protected Geographical Indication quality denomination, thus broadening its scope to the entire European Union.

For further information: : Sobrasada de Mallorca

Palma Pancaritat Festa de l’Angel

spainholidays — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:53:30 +0000

On the Sunday following Easter, many places in Majorca celebrate the Pancaritat (Festa de l’Àngel in Palma), a romería or pilgrimage excursion, the origins of which date back to the year 1407. March-april.

: Palma de Mallorca: Pancaritat – Festa de l’Angel

From very early times, pancaritats have also been celebrated during the week following Easter at sanctuaries and chapels in Majorca, where it is traditional for those taking part to make their way up on foot and share the last empanadas or pies which are made during these days.

The most significant of these takes place at Bellver Castle in Palma, where each year more than 20,000 people congregate in an atmosphere of festivity and fraternity.

It is known as the Festa de l’Àngel as it is identified with the festivity of Sant Àngel Custodi de Palma (St Joseph, the Protector), which originated in this city in 1407 and was their most solemn fiesta during the 15th and 16th Century. As well as a magnificent procession and the performance of a short play, they used to have a ceremony to bless the bread for the needy. This is where the name pancaritat (blessing of the bread) comes from, as this fiesta is popularly called.

For years, the Fiesta del Ángel was suspended, until in 1982 it was brought back by the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations of Palma, which converted it into one of the most emblematic fiestas of the city. Each year, thousands of people meet together at Bellver Castle to take part in this romería, where various entertainment activities are programmed to take place throughout the day.

Popular dances and local products
The acts start in the morning on Sunday, when a procession presided over by the Mayor of Palma leaves the Plaza de Cort to make its way up to Bellver Castle. It takes half an hour to walk up, with other participants joining in along the way, and they are welcomed at the castle by gigantesa (giant figures made of papier-mâché) and xeremiers (traditional musicians).

The large open space situated on the castle slopes, a lovely spot surrounded by pine woods and overlooking the bay of Palma, is the setting for the customary displays of Majorcan dances, a parade by the Mounted Police of Palma, children’s activities or the staging of the Passejada de l’Àngel (the procession of the Angel) by the group Llaüt de Carrer. At midday, the people spread out through the wood and share the food that they have brought along with them with their neighbours in a festive and fraternal atmosphere.

However, the day is long and the ball de bot (a typical Majorcan country dance) may accelerate our digestion and stimulate our appetites once again. But that is no problem, as different entities set up stalls where we can buy pies, and sweet pastries called rubiols which are filled with jam or cabell de’àngel (a sweet pumpkin filling), and other typical Majorcan products which provide us with energy until we get home again.
Throughout this day, there is restricted access to the wood and Bellver Castle for road vehicles, so it is advisable to use public transport.

There is a special bus service from the Plaça d’Espanya to Bellver street, every ten minutes.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

Illes Balears – Easter processions

spainholidays — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:52:21 +0000

The diverse brotherhoods ‘ brotherhoods of believers ‘ start off the processions along the streets of diverse locations in the islands, recreating the last days of Christ

Illes Balears - Easter processions

Easter Week is a religious celebration that commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, apart from representing a festivity of a most popular nature with deep-rooted processions dating from medieval times. The diverse brotherhoods ‘ brotherhoods of believers ‘ start off the processions along the streets of diverse locations in the islands, recreating the last days of Christ. The events start on ‘Palm Sunday’, which is the day that celebrates Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Then, from Monday to Friday a series of processions continue, amongst which those taking place in the city of Palma are to be highlighted: ‘Brotherhood of the Blood of Christ’ on Maundy Thursday and the ‘Holy Burial’ on Good Friday. The ‘Descent from the Cross’ that takes place in Felanitx, Pollença, Artà and Sineu are also highly recommendable. The week of celebrations comes to a closing on Easter Sunday when the Procession of the ‘Meeting’ is celebrated, which shows us a resuscitated Jesus who comes to the reunion with his mother.

More information: www.illesbalears.es

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