Yesterday, Mallorca celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi. This is a moveable feast which traditionally was celebrated on the Thursday after Santíssima Trinitat (Trinity Sunday). For some reason, this festivity lost its character of an official national holiday in Spain and has since been moved to the following Sunday, i. e. the Sunday after Holy Trinity. Corpus Christi is a serious affair here in Spain, as it is also in Portugal, Poland, Croatia, Austria and the Catholic regions of Germany and Switzerland. It is also solemnly observed in most countries in Latin America, including Brazil. Although the Feast of Corpus Christi is in the main a Catholic observance, it is also celebrated in some Anglican and Lutheran churches.
In a way, this celebration brings an end to the 50 day long period from Easter to Pentecost, Trinity Sunday being the Sunday following Pentecost. In Mallorca, a mass is being celebrated on the night of Corpus Christi, to be followed by a procession of the Hostia (the Blessed Sacrament, representing the body of Christ). The photo (above) shows the start of the procession last night in Felanitx. The island’s biggest and most opulent Corpus Christi celebration would have been in Palma and La Seu (the Cathedral). Corpus Christi is one of the few occasions when the Cathedral’s main doors are opened. Celebrations were also held yesterday in Pollença with the dances of Les Àguiles, and in most other Mallorcan pueblos.
The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: June 6th, 2010. The time was 20:38:38.
The Mallorca Photo Blog 
Here is an interesting entry on Corpus Christi, its history and spiritual meaning offering a broad perspective on various traditions and forms of piety. Certainly worth checking out: http://dstp.cba.pl/?p=1939
Felanitx is a fabulous town which I visit many times on my annual trip to Porto Colom. Even though it’s only a few kilometers from a number of resorts, it has the ‘atmosphere’ of a genuine Mallorcan rural town.