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Sant Antoni Fiesta & the Curious Tradition of Pollenca's Pujada del Pi

Celebrations all over Mallorca to celebrate one of the most popular saints

featured in Events reviews Author Jane Leitch, Mallorca Reporter Updated

Blessings, torrades, ximbombas, fireworks and climbing a 20 metre tree are all things you may witness in Mallorca during the week of Sant Antoni.

Many towns across Mallorca host their own Sant Antoni celebrations but some of the most intriguing are those held in the north. The night of the 16th January, before the more formal Sant Antoni blessings on the 17th, is usually Sa Pobla’s time to show off how good a party they can throw.

In Sa Pobla on the night of the 16th the council set up huge bonfires and demonis parade through the square. The Sant Antoni festival is also where the Mallorcan percussion instrument, the ximbomba, comes into it’s own. This sort of drum has a long thin wooden stick coming out of the centre of the drum skin which is rubbed to cause a vibration, resulting in a sort of “whump whump” noise.

The ximbomba along with Mallorca’s answer to flamenco singing - gloses - is a familiar soundtrack to Sant Antoni. Singers in Sa Pobla took to the stage to sing the traditional gloses before everyone started grilling food on the bonfires. Typically the food cooked on the torrades are botifarrons (Mallorcan black pudding) and sobrasada eaten on brown artesian bread.

The bonfires are typically celebrated as a reminder of Saint Antoni’s restraint against temptation from the devil; they also serve as a good way to warm up on the cold January nights. The party then continues on the main square til late in the night with small groups of ximbomba players and singers carrying on the tune throughout the night.

Sant Antoni was the patron saint of the protection of animals and many towns hold parades where the local church will bless any animal that is brought to them. This year saw animals such as horses, flocks of sheep, dogs, ferrets and even birds such as cockatiels and budgies all being blessed. Towns such as Muro and Llucmajor focus on this aspect for Sant Antoni. In Artá, the Sant Antoni tradition of wearing a white shirt with red neckerchief and red skirt is still respected, and hundreds of locals pile into the church to sing songs.

A more unusual tradition for Sant Antoni in both Port de Pollenca and Pollenca is the ‘pujada del pi’, climb of the pine. Each year the people of Puerto Pollensa go to Formentor to cut down and strip a 20m pine tree before dragging it behind a boat back to the Port. It is then dragged through the streets before reaching the main square and being rubbed in soap. It is then hoisted into position and stands high above the church.

The same tradition is carried out in Pollenca where on the 10th January Pollencins go to Ternelles to cut down a tree and bring it to Placa Vella. The pine is then winched up to full height by several men pulling on ropes from the inside of the top floor of the church. This is no easy task but in comparison to what follows it seems rather easy.

Once in place, it’s up to brave (crazy?) Pollencins to scrabble up and attempt to climb the tree. No safety ropes, no harness, no errr, anything that may protect those who lose their grip and fall. Mallorca clearly adheres to a different set of Health & Safety rules to the UK.

With around ten people standing on the supporting ropes or gripping the tree at any one time, there were around fifty people who tried to get to the top of the tree this year - many not even reaching a third of the way up. This years winning climb was quite a while in the making before anyone managed to complete the feat. This years victor in Pollenca was 19 year old Sergi Gomez who climbed the tree after two hours of attempts by townspeople. This was not the first time Sergi has successfully climbed the tree, he also did so in 2011 in a record time.

Ever resourceful, the Pollencins use the tree once it is taken down to make wooden swords for their other favourite festival, La Patrona, held duriing the summer

The BBQs and bonfires aren’t being put away just yet in Mallorca as Palma’s Patron Saint Sant Sebastia is celebrated this weekend with more torrades, concerts in Palma and correfocs. Head down to Palma on Saturday & Monday night for the main parties - for full details see our Events Calendar.