Yesterday, I made a brief mention of the Salers in Felanitx, a group of mostly young folks of my hometown who come out once a year at Easter to celebrate an age-old custom of singing for food. Tradition has it that Empanadas and Rubiols are eaten at Easter, mostly home-cooked, in all of Mallorca. The Salers go from house to house on Easter Sunday and scrounge for Empanadas and Rubiols in exchange for a song and a dance. The donated Easter pastries will then be shared out amongst the community of Felanitxers the next day, Easter Monday, when it is customary to ascend to the Monastery of Sant Salvador on the outskirts of Felanitx.

Two weeks after Easter, the Salers celebrate the successful conquest of the period of Cuaresma (Lent), the forty days before Easter when religious customs made it inappropriate to feast on meat or sweets. A Ball is celebrated, then, and was celebrated last Sunday, and Rollets were baked for the occasion, ring-shaped biscuits made from almonds. Yumm. Rollets are only ever offered that one day, once a year, and only in Felanitx. If you want to try some, you’ll have to wait until next year, two weeks after Easter Sunday, for the Ball dels Salers and their Rollets, and you’ll have to come to Felanitx.

The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 8th, 2011. The time was 18:07:30.