August, as well as being the month for holidays, is the month of the
patron saint festivities par excellence. Week after week, the summer celebration
take place all over the island. They start with Sant Feliu, patron of
Llubí,
and with the Mare de Déu dels Àngels,
patron
of Pollença and
Cala
Millor, fiestas that have already been celebrated last week end.
On the 5th, the Mare de Déu de les Neus in
Bunyola
and in
Santa Eugènia,
and on the 6th
Sant
Salvador in Artà. These three municipalities are already in
fiestas these days.
Continuing with the calendar, we reach Sant Domènec, on the 8th,
patron of
Lloret de Vistalegre.
At the same time the fiestas for
Santa
Càndida in Llucmajor (link to PDF) are held. And on the 10th,
it is Sant Llorenç, patron of
Sant
Llorenç des Cardassar and
Selva.
In the middle of the month, the Mare de Déu d'Agost is held in
Biniaraix,
Caimari,
Campos,
Can
Picafort,
Esporles,
Puigpunyent
(link to PDF),
Sencelles,
Sineu...
And for Sant Roc on August 16 there are fiestas in
Alaró
(link to PDF),
Cala
Rajada (link to PDF),
Porreres
and
s'Alqueria Blanca.
Afterwards comes Sant Bartomeu, on the 24th, with fiestas in
Alcúdia,
Capdepera
(link to PDF),
Consell,
Montuïri,
Ses
Salines,
Sóller...
and Sant Agustí, on 28th, patron of S'Arracó and
Felanitx.
Sant Joan Baptista, on 29th, closes the circle of patron saint festivities
in August and is celebrated in
Estellencs
and
Sant Joan. But you must not
miss two more festivities to be held at the end of the month, connecting
with September: The fiesta of King Jaume in
Santa
Ponça and the fiestas of the Beata in
Santa
Margalida.
All these are only some of the festivities held in August, since in
different districts of Palma and other parts of the island, many more can
be found.
In all the fiestas, that usually last a few days around the date of
the patron saint's day, sports and cultural events, plus those for children
and the elderly are held. In the evening there are many shows, particularly
concerts and the programme usually ends with a grand firework display.
As for traditional events, the main day it is the custom to celebrate
a mass and a street parade, procession or popular dance. There are the
special dances by the "cossiers" in Montuïri on Agust 15, 23 and 24
and the "cavallets" in Felantix on 27 and 28. Also important because of
the popular participation and their colourful representation, are the fiestas
for King Jaume in Santa Ponsa, that relive the landing of King Jaume I
in the bay of Santa Ponsa in 1229, and also the procession for the Beata,
that takes place in Santa Margalida at the beginning of September.
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