Mallorca's fairs and their strange characters

There's something of a bumper crop of fairs and fiestas this weekend.

Cala Millor's tourist fiestas reach their climax on Sunday with a correfoc by the Costitx Dimonis de Son Ganxó, while there are fiestas for Sant Miquel in Calonge and Campanet (plus the fair in Llucmajor) and other fairs in Alaro, Alcudia and Esporles.

The latter of these is all a bit indulgent. It is the Sweet Fair - all manner of confectionery, pastries and chocolate goodies. No wonder it's very popular. As are the Alaro and Alcudia fairs. In addition to their core attractions, such as artisan products (Alaro) and the animals' zone (Alcudia), these two fairs offer the opportunity to experience some of the strange figures and characters that are to be discovered at Mallorca's fairs and fiestas.

In Alaro there is the donkey, there is the dragon and there are the donkey dancers. In Alcudia there is the appearance of S'Estol Rei en Jaume - the bigheads of King Jaume I and his Moor rival plus various characters from Mallorca's folk tales - and now also with Els Vilatans de Guinyent, villagers from what was a settlement (Guinyent) before the walls of Alcudia began to take shape at the start of the fourteenth century.