The Battle of La Patrona de Pollenca

La Patrona is arguably the best and most popular summer festival in Majorca. This fiesta runs from the 24th July to the 2nd August with activities and festivities happening every evening, with the popular ‘Simulacre de Moros i Cristians’ being the final and most exciting event in the schedule.

The Moors and Christians festival is a tradition that the Pollencins take great pride in and dates back to the 16th century. Each year the locals re-enact a battle that took place between the Moorish pirates and Mallorcan Christians on the 30th May 1550. The 1,500 Moors arrived by ship in order to conquer the island of Mallorca as they had already done so to many regions of the peninsula.

The Moors arrived at night to catch the Christians unaware, however, a local hero Joan Mas spots their advances, awakens the town and prepares them for battle. As many locals were asleep, the traditional clothing for the battle re-enactment is a long, white dress or a white shirt and trousers for the Christians, to look similar to that of a night shirt. The pirates are in colourful clothing with swords and their faces are covered in paint to disguise their identity and intimidate the opposition.

In the re-enactment, Joan Mas and the town council -l’Ajuntament Vella - meet head on with the leader of the Moors, Dragut who brings the pirates to the town with his companions Lloctinent and Abanderat. Fighting takes place in the Placa de l’Almoina, located a few streets behind the square. It is then that Joan Mas calls upon La Patrona, ‘La Mare de Déu dels Àngels’ for her help in winning the battle and so the fierce fighting begins. The men charge through the narrow streets of Pollenca shooting shotguns into the air and crossing swords before heading to Ca’n Escarrintxo, an open piece of ground where the battle is eventually won by the Christians. Dragut and his fellow pirates retreat back to their ships leaving Joan Mas and his townsmen victorious.

Joan Mas then parades the Moorish Flag through the streets on his way to the church. The tired and battered Christians follow the heroic Joan Mas to the church on the main square where they give thanks to La Patrona, celebrate and sing the town hymn, Visca Pollenca.

According to the festival programme, the festivities start on the 24th July but every year, in the middle of July the locals celebrate a very important and meaningful night that really marks the beginning of this most anticipated time of the year. Candidates for the coveted roles of the main protagonists for the Moors & Christians face local elections to decide who will lead the battle for both sides. The votes and results are placed and counted in the Plaça Vella which is located close to the main square, by the side of the church. This square is also host to the ‘Pi de Sant Antoni’ which happens in January where locals battle it out to climb to the top of a pine tree placed in the centre of the square.

The results of the elections are then projected on to a building for all to see, and then it is party time as the celebrations continue all night long. Pollenca comes alive after dark with huge crowds lining the narrow streets. The party moves from Plaça Vella to the main square, in particular C’an Moixet and La Birreria which are the most popular destinations for a night out in Pollenca.

A week of celebration and activities precede the festivities for the ‘Simulacre dels Moros i Cristians’ which begin at 5am on the 2nd August. Locals fall silent to listen to the brass band play ‘L’Alborada’ in the main square before marching through the streets. The rest of the day is spent preparing for the battle where families and friends gather together to get dressed in their traditional outfits.

Pollenca is very busy on this day and parking can be very difficult to find, and bus services can be significantly reduced so it is best to check the timetables beforehand.

Links to bus timetable can be found here.
See the programme of events for La Patrona 2012.