The eagerly awaited Fires i Festes kick off with the traditional dance of the Cossiers. | Maria Nadal
The Manacor fairs and fiestas, which span two weekends, start on Friday afternoon with the traditional cossier dancers.
Unlike other cossiers, who perform in one place, the Manacor troupe is itinerant. They start at 5pm from C. General Barceló and make their way to the town hall.
The starting-point is from the “house of the lady”, the cossiers featuring a “dama” (lady) as well as a demon. There have been cossier dances in Manacor since 1622. In 1950, because of social and political reasons, the dances came to an end. Some thirty years later there was a revival.
There was a time when only a few people used to accompany the dancers on their route. Nowadays, streets are packed with people.