THE FIESTAS!!!
Fiesta time in Pollença
January- 5th - The three kings arrive! It´s like Christmas eve! The children will receive their presents tonight. Families will be out on the streets in the evening to see the 3 wise men arrive - Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar. Depending where you are the kings will arrive by boat (Acudia and Palma), horseback (Pollensa and Pto Pollensa) and there is a procesion of carriages with sweets.
Leave your shoe out tonight and you might get a surprise! Or if you have been naughty you will get sweet coal!
January – the Fiesta of Sant Antoni is celebrated.
The fiesta begins with a procession at 10 am in the village where everyone brings their animals to be blessed by Sant Antoni as they go past the church. There is every animal imaginable from cats and dogs, to horses and donkeys, sheep and goats all washed and dressed for the occasion with colorful ribbons and bows. Everyone is then invited to walk to the Ternelles valley where the villagers cut down a tall pine tree that is stripped bare and waxed. A traditional lunch of pa amb oli (bread with tomato and olive oil) with herring is served, washed down with red wine to keep the cold at bay. The tree is then brought down the valley through the narrow lanes on a wooden cart pulled by the male villagers which takes most of the afternoon. The traditional drink of ''mesclat'' which is made from aniseed and carob is drunk on the way down and bringing the pine tree through the narrow streets of the village as far as the church is a feat in itself. The pine tree is erected and prize money put in a bag at the very top for whoever shins up there first.
Easter – The Good Friday procession at Easter is a very solemn procession conducted in silence by torchlight coming down the Calvary steps and then passing through the village streets. The different dioceses are represented and all have their faces covered by tall cone-like headdress.
You will need to go early to secure a viewing spot. Procession starts at 9pm.
June – Corpus Cristi celebrates the ''Aguilas'', this is a spectacular procession where two young girls are dressed from head to toe in real antique gold jewelry which belongs to everyone in the village. They represent two eagles and are accompanied by a masked ''Juan Palos'' who leads them through the village.
Two policeman follow discretely behind to protect the girls and their jewels! This fiesta dates centuries and starts at approx 7pm.
July – San Cristobal is the patron saint of lorry drivers and at 9.30am the procession starts in Pollença village with all the lorries decorated with colored streamers and the drivers throwing sweets for the children as they drive slowly down to the port and over to Cala San Vincente where they have lunch. The traffic does get held up for a little while but they will soon let you through!
July – The Fiestas del Carmen is the culmination of the weeks' fiestas in the Port of Pollença. All during the previous week there will be dancing with live bands and shows in the square down at the port. This is a patron saint of fishermen so there is a procession of brightly decorated fishing boats across the bay at approx 6pm which is definitely worth seeing with a grand firework display over the bay at midnight.
August – Known as ''La Patrona'' this is the culmination of the fiestas held all the previous week in the village with live bands, concerts and fold dancing in the main square. The main fiesta actually begins the night previously with everyone dancing and drinking all night in the village until approx 5am when the band in the square play the Pollença hymn announcing the dawn and the beginning of ''La Patrona.''
After lunch, all the males in the village dress up to enact the battle between the Moors and the Christians villagers are dressed in antique white nightdresses with peasant shoes, carrying hoes and picks as their weapons.
The battle originally took place in 155 when Pollença was attacked b 1500 pirate raiders. La Patrona...The battle commences at approx 7pm in the village at the back of the church with ''Juan Mas'', a local village legend, spotting ''Dragut'' the leader of the pirates and leaping out the window to face him and shouting to all the villagers to come and battle to protect the village. Historically, the battle happened early hours in the morning, hence the men in their night clothes and the women dressing in antique linen nightdresses which are family heirlooms. By the end of the evening, the pirates are defeated and driven away back to sea.
This really is a fiesta on a large scale and is definitely one to remember!
Public Holidays
01 January New years day
17 January Sant Antoni
Easter Thursday and Good Friday
01 May May Day
25 July San Jaime
02 August La Patrona
15 August Dia de las Vírgenes
12 October Dia de la Hispanidad
01 November All Saints' Day
06 December Spanish Constitution
08 December Spanish Constitution
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Boxing Day.
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