Celebrate Sant Antoni
After the Three Kings have delivered their gifts and left our shores, it’s soon time for one of Mallorca’s most popular, traditional fiestas: Sant Antoni, the patron saint of animals.
Sant Antoni wasn’t a ‘mallorquin’, but a monk in Egypt who was visited in the desert by the Devil disguised as a woman. Sant Antoni avoided the apparent womanly wiles by distracting himself with a barefoot walk across the embers of a fire.
Fire and devils – or ‘dimonis’, as they are known here – are important features of the eve of Sant Antoni’s day. On the night of January 16th, people in towns and villages across Mallorca light bonfires, cook food outdoors, and have fun singing risqué Sant Antoni songs while ‘dimonis’ dance around them. It’s a night you’ll hear the traditional friction drum known as a ‘ximbomba’ – a simple but essential instrument played during this fiesta.
The eve of Sant Antoni is celebrated in different ways across the island. In Artà, the fun lasts all day and starts with a special breakfast of hot chocolate, Sant Antoni’s coca, and ensaïmada. In Sa Pobla, eel and rice dishes are popular. Manacor is another town where the Sant Antoni festivities are taken very seriously.
On January 17th, Sant Antoni’s day itself, animal blessing ceremonies are held across the island, and people take their pets and farm animals to the local priest. Some municipalities may choose a different date for this. In Manacor, traditionally dressed people parade with their animals through the streets, creating a colourful and Instagram-worthy spectacle.
‘Visca Sant Antoni’ – long live Sant Antoni!