THE DAEMONS AND SAINT ANTHONI

Saint Anthony’s celebrations, the 16th and 17th of January, concentrate almost all the events dedicated to remember the countryside’s traditions and the peasant’s life, as this saint has been traditionally considered to be protector of animals. “Sant Antoni del Porquet” is how he has been popularly known amongst the people of our country as he is represented always accompanied by the image of a pig, to differentiate him from Saint Anthony of Padua, celebrated the month of July.

Many towns in Mallorca recreate in these dates scenes of peasant imagery, exhibited on top of carriages, which are shown on the streets, mixed with the people which attend with their animals the traditional blessings which take place in the saint’s celebration, before or after dinner, depending on the town.

Another essential feature of these celebrations is the ximbomba accompanied singing, which used to be very diverse and were extensive throughout Majorca. Nowadays it reappears with strength in the north and east of the island the days close to Saint Anthony and Saint Sebastian, although with a lesser melodic diversity. The singers gather around foguerons (great bonfires) organised by neighbours, associations or town halls and the party usually lasts until well into the night. Often, ball de bot (traditional dancing) forms part of the celebration.

In Mallorca Saint Anthony’s celebration is inexorably linked to the action of dimonis (firework shows), almost absolute protagonists of the celebrations the night before Saint Anthony’s day. This happens in towns such as Artà, Son Servera, Manacor, or Sa Pobla. This event has its origin in the recreation of the temptations Saint Anthony suffered by the devil, following religious tradition.

In Alcudia, every 16th of January during the evening, the Saint goes out and gives out sweets to children. He is followed by 18 daemons which hit the public with brooms, without making any age distinctions. From this point onwards massive pursuits take place during two hours at the town’s historical centre, amidst a great tumult.

During the night the bonfire organised by Sarau Alcudienc at the Vegetables Square gathers all the ximbombades singers and their youngest apprentices from the ESCOLA DE CANT AMB XIMBOMBA (a school of traditional songs accompanied by the ximbomba). They all fill the celebration with their gloses (popular verses) sung as people have their dinner around the bonfire. Then the celebration will be completed with a “ballada popular” (popular dance party) where “jotes”, “mateixes”, “boleros” and “fandangos” will follow until very late at night, when the party finally ends with the drinking of hot chocolate.

Artà, Manacor, Son Servera, Sa Pobla or Pollença are some of the Majorcan towns where Saint Anthony’s day is specially celebrated. In this last place, the same day a PUJADA AL PI (climbing of the pine tree) is carried out, where the most agile youth compete to climb to the topmost of a pine tree covered in soap that the crowd has brought from the forest of Ternelles, in the middle of a great uproar.