Pictures of Mallorca holiday time. Hope your Christmas was merry merry!
Pictures of Mallorca Navidad
Category: spain
Spanish Navidad
Spain is a lovely place to enjoy the holiday season, with events and celebrations starting early December and going through mid January. Children typically only get a small gift on Christmas Day because they receive the majority of their presents on January 6th – Three Kings Day (Los Reyes). Christmas time is truly a special time of the year in Spain.
Here are some of my favorites from Spain.
The Belen (Nativity Scene) – You can always find a Belen in the bigger cities, some with a live Belen! And they can be very elaborate and beautiful.
And a bit of a strange tradition in Catalonia is the caganer (the crapper), where a defecating figure perched behind Mary and Joseph is said to symbolize fertilization, as well as bringing luck and prosperity for the year ahead. The traditional figure is that of a young peasant from Catalonia, sporting a red cap and a pipe. But modern crappers represent public figures of the moment, from politicians to sporting heroes. Here is your Trump caganer that will probably be very popular this year.
Next up is EL GORDO! You can get your lottery ticket pretty much almost anywhere. El Gordo (The Fat One) is a Spanish institution and the second oldest lottery in the world. The first Christmas lottery took place on 22nd December 1812 in Cádiz and the event has been taking place on the same day every year since.
It’s a bit complicated because so many people take part in the lottery, numbers are repeated up to 160 times. That means, if you win, you will most likely be sharing the prize with 159 others.
The night of the drawing is a drawn out affair lasting around three hours. The balls are drawn in a unique way befitting the unique lottery tradition, while the numbers are sung by the pupils of Madrid’s San Ildefonso school.
My next favorite Spanish fiesta is Three King’s Day (El Dia de los Reyes). If you remember the Three Kings are Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior and they bring the newborn Christ child gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The one thing that really bothers me is how the person who portrays Balthazar is a Spanish who is blackened up. There are many African people who live here, who I am sure would be quite honored to play the role of Balthazar.
There are many parades around Spain with the Three Kings throwing candy to the children. Here in Mallorca, the Three Kings arrive on boat. There is also the Roscón de Reyes which is a traditional cake (a bit fruitcake like) that families eat on the day. Careful though, there is a metal/plastic figurine inside it. Whoever gets it in their piece is crowned king or queen of the table. There’s also a bean inside the pastry and whoever gets it has to buy next year’s roscón.
Good luck getting to be the king or queen of the party! Those are my favorites! What are some of your favorite holiday tradition where you live?
Torralbenc Hotel ~ Menorca
You guys, you must go to this hotel in Menorca. In case you don’t know, Menorca is Mallorca’s little sister. A smaller island just northeast of Mallorca.
Torralbenc Hotel. SO NICE. Enjoy the chic whitewashed farmhouse buildings surrounded by grass plains and rosemary. It’s so peaceful and was the perfect place for Felix and me to celebrate our 14th (!) anniversary. We took the ferry from Mallorca to Menorca with our car. It was so simple and fun.
The 19th-century homestead has been reinvented by Antonio Esteva, who’s usually found designing luxurious private villas. And this one has it all. Modern minimalist rooms and suites have all white everything, parquet floors, balconies, some have private pools, and all the modern conveniences. And get this – breakfast is included, but not just that, you can have it delivered to your room and they set it up on your terrace for you. Seriously, stop. You had me at breakfast delivered to your terrace. And check it out.
Yeah, all that can be yours.
We ate the two nights at the hotel restaurant – great food! Next time we might venture out to a restaurant nearby. During the days we hung out at the long, rectangular, seawater pool, got a massage at their spa and drank some Menorcan beer. You have sea view but the beach is about 3 km away. Torralbenc has bikes to borrow so you could bike to Cala en Porter if you feel like beaching it up. How about this view:
Pretty hot, right? And the view to the sea ain’t bad either. 😉
If you want more info about Menorca, you can look at Menorca Part UNO and Menorca Part DOS.
A few more pictures of the place. Go and enjoy it as soon as you can. I know I will be back soon too. See you there!
Happy Birthday Pablo!
One of my favorite artists, Pablo Picasso (Spanish), would have been 135 years old today. Obviously not like anyone is reaching this age but 135, nonetheless. I remember going to the Picasso museum in Madrid when I was a young tyke just learning the world, venturing out on my own at age 20. And I loved it. I didn’t want to leave. His creations were so original and inspiring and beautiful I could have stared at them for weeks.
In his Blue Period my favorite was The Old Guitarist created in 1903.
In his Rose Period, my favorite is Garcon a la pipe, created in 1905.
His African influenced period was next and then Cubism. Both I know about but they are not my favorites. The most popular I would think from his Cubism period would be Three Musicians.
.And the last is his Classicism and Surrealism period. There are so many artworks from Picasso that I love dearly from this time frame. I guess I like the funky take on a human face or his love of the minotaur in a lot of his works. But my favorite is Girl before a Mirror (1932). This shows Picasso’s mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, one of his favorite subjects in the early 1930s. Her white-haloed profile, rendered in a smooth lavender pink, appears serene. But it merges with a more roughly painted, frontal view of her face—a crescent, like the moon, yet intensely yellow, like the sun, and “made up” with a gilding of rouge, lipstick, and green eye-shadow. Perhaps the painting suggests both her day-self and her night-self, both her tranquillity and her vitality, but also the transition from an innocent girl to a worldly woman aware of her own sexuality.
.Well played Sir! You are deeply missed. Hope the heavens are throwing you one heck of a party.
Semana Santa
Spain is known especially for its Holy Week traditions or Semana Santa. The celebration of Holy Week regarding popular piety relays almost exclusively in the processions of the brotherhoods or fraternities. These associations have their origins in the Middle Age, but a number of them were created during the Baroque Period.The membership is usually open to any Catholic person and family tradition is an important element to become a member.
A common feature in Spain is the almost general usage of the nazareno or penitential robe for some of the participants in the processions. This garment consists in a tunic, a hood with conical tip (capirote) used to conceal the face of the wearer, and sometimes a cloak. The exact colors and forms of these robes depend on the particular procession. The robes were widely used in the medieval period for penitents, who could demonstrate their penance while still masking their identity. These nazarenos carry processional candles or rough-hewn wooden crosses, may walk the city streets barefoot, and, in some places may carry shackles and chains on their feet as penance.
These processions take place in Palma mainly on Thursday night – Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles
The other common feature is that every brotherhood carries magnificent “Pasos” or floats with sculptures that depict different scenes from the gospels related to the Passion of Christ or the Sorrows of Virgin Mary. Many of these floats are art pieces created by Spanish artists such as Gregorio Fernandez, Juan de Mesa, Martínez Montañés or Mariano Benlliure. Brotherhoods have owned and preserved these “pasos” for centuries in some cases. Usually, the “pasos” are accompanied by Marching bands performing “Marchas procesionales” a specific type of compositions, devoted to the images and fraternities.
El Día de los Reyes
The day for Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar to arrive is here! Children are anxiously awaiting all over Spain to see the Three Kings. Known in the Anglophone world as the Epiphany, the arrival of the Three Kings is defined in Spain by the enormous expectation and the tremendous annual celebrations that revolve around the event. Festivities officially start the evening before Epiphany, on the night of January 5, when the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings’ Parade) takes place in every town and city, with hundreds upon hundreds of people crowding the main roads of the urban settlements in order to get a glimpse of the reenactment of the arrival of the Three Kings into town.
Here in Mallorca, the Three Kings arrive on boat and then proceed to join the parade (either on an elaborate float or on camels or horses) to throw candy to the children that line the streets. The children hopefully have been very good all year because this is the time they receive the most presents. Santa is definitely number two in popularity in Spain. But if the children have been bad they receive a bag of black coal, (usually a lump of hard sugar candy dyed black, called Carbón Dulce).
If you haven’t realized it yet, the Three Kings are the Three Wise Men who traveled by night all the way from the farthest confines of the Earth to bring gifts to Jesus, whom they recognized as the Son of God. The two days remain a beloved tradition, the night before when the Kings arrive and January 6, the day of the Epiphany.
It is a special time here in Spain! But sadly, it is also the end of Christmas.
Til next time!
Twas The Night Before The Spanglish Christmas
I thought this was muy adorable, I hope you do too!
(ps – I don’t know the author. If you do, let me know. gracias!)
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE (SPANGLISH) CHRISTMAS
.
‘Twas the night before Christmas y por toda la casa,
Not a creature was stirring-Caramba! Que pasa?
Los niños were tucked away in their camas,
Some in long underwear, some in pijamas,
While hanging the medias with mucho ciudado
In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado
To bring all children, both buenos y malos,
A nice batch of dulces y otros regalos.
Outside in the yard there arose such a grito
That I jumped to my pies like a frightened cabrito.
I ran to the window and looked out afuera,
And who in the world do you think that it era?
Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were eight little burros approaching volados.
I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:
“Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Berto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!”
Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea,
Then huffing and puffing at last in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his real suit de gala,
He filled all the medias with lovely regalos-
For none of the niños had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming muy contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone como viento.
And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
Merry Christmas to all, y Feliz Navidad!
This is UNTRANSLATABLE
I loved this the moment I saw it. Ever since moving to Europe nine (REALLY? NINE?!!? wow) years ago I have been in a whirlwind of languages. First German, then Spanish, sometimes French – And I have loved every moment. But more and more sometimes people ask me what does this mean in English and I have no answer. Sometimes things are just, well, untranslatable.
Enjoy and read. I love all of these but my favorites are:
1. Waldeinsamkeit – I do love that feeling of aloneness when you are in the woods. So peaceful. And sometimes frightening.
2. Sobremesa – The Spanish completely and totally love just hanging out and talking for hours upon end. Sometimes I love it and sometimes it drives me crazy.
3. Dépaysement – Oh, I know this one. Too well.
4. Mangata – I love the mangata. So very beautiful and calming.
GOING NINETY MILES 