The patron saint of the village of Algaïda, Sant Honorat (Saint Honorat), is celebrated every year on January 16th. Yesterday, the saint was honoured with a special church service during which the local Cossiers dancers gave an endearing little performance offering their respect and devotion and also, offering a twig of Murta (Myrtus communis, Myrtle) to the priests. After the church service, six or seven ritual dances were performed in the Plaça for the benefit of the populace, and much appreciated they were. If you have not seen the Cossiers of Algaïda you will have missed one of the highlights of Mallorcan traditional customs. The Cossiers also perform at other local Festes, such as the Festes de Sant Jaume in July. See if you can make it; a visit would be worth your while.

The photos were taken in Algaïda, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 16th, 2012. The time was 12:25:43 and 12:37:39, respectively.