8/9 FIESTA ON ST JULIA'S EVE The dance in honour of St Julia is held and the first bonfires (foguerons) of the winter fiestas are lit in Campos.

16/ FIESTA ON ST HONORAT'S EVE St Honorat is the patron saint of Algaida. The most characteristic part of the fiesta is the performance of the cossiers, six men and one woman, accompanied by a demon, who dance and whose origins are related to invocations to ancient divinities.

The dances of the 'cossiers' are one of the most brilliant moments of the feast of Saint Honorat in Algaida

16/ REVETLLA DE SANT ANTONI ABAT Sant Antoni visqué entre els segles III i IV. De 16/ FIESTA ON ST ANTONI ABAT'S EVE Sant Antoni lived at some time around the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The eve of his saint's day is one of the magical nights in Majorca's calendar, which is linked to ancient fertility rites. Not in vain is St Antoni the guardian of crops and livestock. The night of St. Antoni is a night of bonfires (foguerons). There are two places that really should be visited: Artà, where everything is organised by the l'Obreria de Sant Antoni; and Sa Pobla where espinagada is eaten, made with eels from s'Albufera and spinach from Sa Marjal.

17/ ST ANTONI ABAT'S DAY The fiesta of the traditional blessing of animals is held in Palma and in practically all the towns and villages of Majorca.

Pollença/La Davallada d'U Pi In Pollença after the traditional "colcada" and the appropriate blessings, everyone goes from l'Almoina to "get the pine" from the Ternelles estate, where, after hearty refreshments of bread and olive oil, salt herring and wine, a pine tree with a long straight trunk is felled and taken to the Plaça Vella in Pollença.
In Sa Pobla, the blessing tends to take place in the evening with a great parade of decorated floats, and then folk dancing.
In Calvià, next to the church the alimara is lit to celebrate the fiestas of St Antoni. This is a huge bonfire on which to burn the devil, according to tradition.
In Palma, the most traditional blessing is that of Sant Antoniet, with music by the xeremies (pipe, drums and bagpipes), a parade, a Mass and the awarding of prizes.

19/20 FIESTA ON ST SEBASTIÀ'S EVE Although on the eve of St. Sebastià's Day dances and fiestas are held in many villages in Mallorca, such as Ariany, Búger, Calvià, Capdellà, Costitx, Deià, Muro and Sa Pobla, with the indispensable bonfires, the main fiesta is in Palma. Ever since St. Sebastià delivered the city from plague, he has been its patron saint. The great fiesta takes place on the 19th from early on in the evening, with live music in a number of squares in the city centre. On the following day, the fiesta reaches its height with a Mass held in the Cathedral in the morning.

20/ PARADE OF "LOS CAVALLETS" IN POLLENÇA As part of the fiestas of St Sebastià, Pollença relives a secular tradition on the feast day itself. The Saint is taken on a parade with the town standard and the "cavallets", two youths from the village who dance in a horse costume.

FEBRUARY

FIESTA OF THE SIURELL Llubí celebrates the Fiesta of the Siurell on the Saturday before carnival.

27/ SISTER FRANCINAINA CIRER'S BIRTHDA A floral offering is made to the figure of the Blessed Sister Francinaina Cirer in Sencelles.

CARNIVAL/ELS DARRERS DIES The countdown to Carnival starts on Dijous Larder (Lardy Thursday). This period is known in Mallorca as "els darrers dies" (the last days) which refers to the fact that they are the last possible days to have fun before Lent begins. Typical foods include the ensaimada de tallades.

Carnival is a festival that invites participation

MARCH/APRIL

HOLY WEEK

Palm Sunday: the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is commemorated throughout Majorca. The most traditional aspects of the fiesta are the olive and palm branches that are taken to the procession. It is the custom to keep the palm branches at home to ward off the evil eye over the next twelve months.

In the first few days of the week there are processions with elaborate floats with figures of the Virgin or Christ (pasos) hauled, or even carried, by penitents (Nazarenos). Their calendar is very varied. Perhaps the most visually impressive are those in Palma, especially that on Dijous Sant (Easter Thursday), presided over by the figure of Sant Crist de la Sang which is the object of devotion by many people. Good Friday: What is known as the "Davallament" is celebrated in many villages as well as in Palma Cathedral: this is a representation of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea taking Jesus' body down from the cross. Two of the towns with the longest tradition are Artà, where the act takes place on San Salvador, and Pollença, where it finishes at the Oratory del Calvari. In Palma an epic poem by Llorenç Moya "El Via Crucis" is acted out.

The ceremony of the 'Davallament' is held everywhere

Easter Sunday Easter is really the first fiesta that leaves winter and the austerity of Lent behind. Early in the morning of Easter Sunday or the Sunday of Glory the procession of the Encuentro is held, in which the resurrected Jesus and the Virgin Mary are reunited. The Virgin Mary gives three jumps (els tres botets) of happiness at seeing her son resurrected. Applause breaks out and bells peal. In theory, it is from this moment on that one may eat panades (lamb pies). The panades and typical frit de Pascua, are followed by a variety of desserts: robiols and crespells.

LOS PANCARITATS The sanctuaries and hermitages of Majorca assume vital importance the week after Easter. At almost all of them, pancaritats are held; these are mass picnics held outside the villages. Some towns such as Andratx, Muro, Pollença, Selva, Sineu and Sant Joan hold them on Easter Monday. Others do so on the Tuesday, for example Montuïri, Petra, Ariany, Vilafranca, Alcúdia, Algaida, Campanet, Felanitx, Llubí, Mancor and sa Pobla. Lloseta prefers the Wednesday. Finally other municipalities wait for Diumenge de l'Àngel, the last day of the week of pancaritats. This is the case of Llucmajor, Porreres, Alaró, Inca, Sencelles, Valldemossa and Palma.

The week after Easter, the 'pancaritats' in the hermitages and sanctuaries of the island

25 APRIL / FIESTA OF SANT MARC St Marc is the patron saint of Sineu. It is the custom to eat snails on his feast day