Fairs and Fiestas

New "cavallets" dance in Pollensa

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPollensa21/01/2016 00:00

Away from Palma, Pollensa is one of the few places in Majorca that marks Sant Sebastià in a particularly notable way, and it does so with the bearing of the image of the saint and the banner and with the dance of the "cavallets". These horse figures, worn by the dancers, are found in various towns, but their appearance in Pollensa for Sant Sebastià is unique to the town.

The procession and dance took place yesterday evening and culminated in a separate dance - "les Taules" - by the bonfire in the Plaça Major. The cavallets were in fact new ones and had been created by local craftsman Toni Socias, who was also responsible for the new eagles that appeared at the Corpus Christi procession in the town last spring. (Like the cavallets, the "àguiles" are worn, but by two girls of the town in this instance.)

Another factor that marks the Pollensa cavallets out is that the dancers are adults. In times past they were children, and it is more usual, with other cavallets in Majorca, for children to wear them.