don't know if many of you guys managed to see this year's fiesta? Fortunately managed to co-incide with really brief visit for the fun and festivities. The weather was absolutely perfect (warm and sunny with balmy evenings and hardly a ripple on the sea).
The first evidence of things to come was dodging the sand piles in the port's road last weekend.Apparently each community ( blocks of appartments/restaurants) can arrange for these deposits from the Council in order to protect the road surfaces. Monday was a hive of activity as each pile was converted into a bonfire and these were real bonfires, not your run of the mill lets burn a few leaves in the back garden bonfires.Logs and tree trunks of enormous girth were carefully placed to build structures of enormous size. As the day went on effigies and models were placed on top. Our local one ( supported by Neptuno II behind the church) proudly displayed a wonderful six foot high model of the Empire State Building with King Kong straddling the top, topical and traditional all in one attempt. We all wait, excited like kids, for the darkness cos this was going to be Guy Fawkes night and Halloween ( there were devils all around) in one !!!
The skirl of the bagpipes ( or to be correct the xeremiers) at about 7 p.m. had us running out into the streets as the judging of the unlit fires had started. Off into the night to inspect everyone's sterling efforts. Barrels of free red wine were everywhere with the cry to help yourselves and tables set up groaning with sausages, chops, fish etc ready for the cooking later. Not sure what triggered the fire lighting cos there were intermittant firecrackers going off since 6.30 but about 8 p.m. all was aglow. Back in the square where there were about 4/5 fires young kids were poking the fires and people began cooking . No fire tenders stood by, as there would be here in our Health and Safety ruled lives.Everybody was now aglow with the heat and the copius amounts of wine being consumed. Similar scenes were being witnessed all over town as every community seemed to have their own fire. Finished up bopping to the band in the Cultural in the early hours as people came to mingle around the still fiercely burning piles. Chairs were set up around them cos this was not going to be an early night !!!!!
Fast forward to 8 a.m. on Tuesday as a beautiful day beckoned and the first firework went off calling folk to get to Formentor beach for more barbequeing and drinking whilst the fire tree was felled, stripped and prepared for the seatrip to the port. Apparently copious amounts of Palo ( ?) , a carob pod fortified wine were being consumed ( Research here for you Jane here).
We opted for the quiet life and went to the square to await the tree and observe the blessing of the beasts ( Sant Antoni being the patron saint). By midday the sunbaked square was full again with people and many loved pets. Countless dogs , puppies,cats, rabbits, caged birds, a miniature pony , horses with riders. Many of the dogs sported colourful neckscarves. "Ohs" and Ahs" from the little children as they ran about petting and stroking the many species out in the sun. Half an hour later , the parish priest appeared on the steps of the church as owners and pets shuffled past so that the pets could receive the benediction and a splash of holy water. It was a wonderful sight and the feelgood factor from all present was immense.
After a while fireworks exploded to indicate the tree was on it's way. Now if you haven't seen this festival it's like a suicidal "Its a knockout" competition played by inebriated palo fuelled young bucks ( No disrespect because this is a serious local tradition). The tree ( probably 40 odd feet tall) is towed around the streets , People on balconies are requested to drench the young bucks with water. Eventually the tree arrives in the square piped in by the xeremiers ( backed up by Samba drummers), everyone rushes forward to grab the pulling ropes. In a trice ( and helped by the council lorry crane) it's wedged vertical and true in front of the church. A huge plastic sack has been attached to the top and off the young lads go trying to straddle their way to the top. The feinthearted look away , probably with memories of serious injuries from previous years. A few lads fight to get up the first few feet. Then a youngster manages to get halfway as the crowd begin to cheer. Another guy follows him up and passes the first at a good twenty five feet up and on and on. Stopping intermittantly to regain what must be enormous strength and stamina he's up and up further. The crowd erupts as he punches the sack open and confetti sprays all over the place." Bravo, Bravo " we all cry and I believe this was a pretty fast climbing this year so not really sure if the crowd were expecting longer lasting excitement. The crowd dispells satisfied it's been achieved, the fires from the night before are still smoldering and embers burn away.
It's a great fiesta and still proves that tradition and culture will always overcome what to us in the UK
is becoming a HSE nanny state. You just couldn't see it happening in Brighton or Birmingham. Catch it sometime.
BonysLad