Worth Committing A Sin
The cura (priest) of the town of Santanyí, in the South East of the island, lives in a rectory with one of the nicest patios that I know of in […]
All You Need Is Love
People who love somebody celebrate Valentine’s Day today and, judging by this window decoration in a shop in Manacor, Mallorca is no exception. One should really be able to express […]
Happy Chinese New Year
February 7th, i. e. today, marks the beginning of the Year of the Rat, in China and in some other – but not all – parts of Asia. The Chinese […]
El Entierro de la Sardina
The changeover from Carnival to Lent is marked in Mallorca by El Entierro de la Sardina (funeral of the sardine). A mock funeral is staged by some villages with a […]
Carnival Time
Carnival has a rather early date in this year’s calendar due to Easter happening as soon as March 21st (Good Friday). All this, of course, is part of the customs […]
Tilling the Land
Not so many years ago, Mallorca was a predominantly agricultural society. Almonds, carob beans, oranges, apricots, wine and olives were the main crops, together with a bit of sheep farming […]
Ball de Bot
Festivities and celebrations in Mallorca are always accompanied by music and dance, as they were last Sunday during the Beneïdes, the blessing of the animals. The typical Mallorcan folk dance […]
Sant Antoni
Yesterday saw the blessing of the animals in Felanitx (and other villages) as part of the Sant Antoni celebrations. The blessings are given by the parish vicar with the patron […]
Sant Sebastià in Palma
Mallorca’s capital, Palma de Mallorca, has a patron saint: Sant Sebastià. The saint is honoured every year on January 20th with an extended programme of festivities. The main activities, this […]
Bonfires of the Vanities
I accept with humble defiance that my title today is a bit misleading. Vanities not so much; bonfires, yes, and many. Today is the day of San Antonio, when bonfires […]
January’s Moon Aids Mallorcan Wine
January marks the beginning of a lot of arduous work, should you be in the business of growing vines. The fortnight between New Moon (January 8th) and Full Moon (January […]
Three Kings’ Arrival in Mallorca
Tomorrow, January 6th, Spain celebrates the Holiday of the Three Wise Men from the Orient, also known as the Three Kings, or the Feast of Epiphany. But, in true fashion […]
Time For Some Thinking
The holiday season is not over yet. In fact, in Spain the holiday season starts in early December and does not end until after Three Kings. We may think that […]
778 Years Ago Today
778 years ago today, on December 31st, 1229, Mallorca was recaptured from the hands of the occupying Moors. King Jaume I from Catalunya-Aragon sailed to Mallorca with a contingent of […]
12 Grapes At Midnight
Tradition has it that for good luck in the New Year, and all year long, 12 uvas de la suerte (grapes of luck) have to be eaten at midnight on […]
Red Underwear
Superstition is a matter of every day life in Spain. This country still has some very conservative habits and attitudes, which is no wonder if one considers that Spain was […]
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