According to the Catholic faith, Saint Christopher is the saint of safe travel. It is quite customary, here and elsewhere, to put Saint Christopher medals on display in one’s car to bless the vehicle, the driver and the passengers with safe journeys there and back.

There are a few pueblos in Mallorca where this tradition is upheld, amongst others Felanitx, Biniali and Sant Joan, and of course Palma. A Beneïdes (blessing) of lorries, cars and motorbikes will take place next Saturday, July 7th, in Portocolom, the harbour town of Felanitx. The time will be 10h30. I am giving you a few days warning in case you would want to make your way to Portocolom. I am not sure about the date of similar blessings in Biniali, but last year it happened to be a week or two after Felanitx. I don’t know the reason for this divergence of dates. As far as I know, the official saint’s day is July 10th. The Saint Christopher blessings are usually officiated by a priest or someone similarly qualified.

Beneïdes de Sant Cristòfol blessings were also held in the village of Sant Joan for the last 56 years, but they have now been cancelled for this year. Apparently there has been some conflict between the Penya Motorista Sant Joan and the local Ajuntament. What can I say?

The photo was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, M. Bosch.

Muchas gracias.