Majorcan Culture

Mallorquín

According to Robert Graves: “Mallorcans speak

Mallorquín, a language as old as English and purer than Catalan or Provençal, its nearest relatives”. Nevertheless, the origins of the language are a source of passionate debate, in which philological and historical questions intertwine with political preferences and issues of identity. Even the name itself is controversial. Although officially known as Catalan, many believe it should be called Mallorquín or Balear.

Some people claim that after James I of Aragon conquered Mallorcan from the Arabs in 1229, the island was repopulated with people from Catalonia (later there was another wave of Catalan settlers) and the language they brought with them evolved, becoming a dialect of Catalan with marked differences to the Catalan language spoken on the mainland. Other experts say the complete opposite, stating that Mallorquín comes from the language the islanders spoke before James I arrived, a language that had evolved from Vulgar Latin with influences brought by Italian seafarers, arguing that it is impossible for Mallorquín to have descended from Catalan as the latter is a much younger language. There are also those who claim that its origin lies in a mixture of the language spoken by the Christians who lived alongside the Arabs on the island and Occitan, a language from the south of France that reached Mallorca with James I.

Mallorcan Culture

It is thought that Mallorca may have been inhabited

as early as 8000 BC. Around the year 900 BC the Talayotic settlements were invaded, possibly from the Gulf of Lion and the Catalonian coast. Later, through invasions, war and trade, Greeks, Etruscans, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Spaniards and Italians all left their mark on the island. Regarding the Christianisation of Mallorca, there is mention of a Bishop Elias in the year 480. Naturally, all these historical events combined with natural factors created a very special culture: from its habits and customs, folklore, gastronomy, traditions, myths and legends to its literature, architecture and art.

Fiestas and Feasting

Celebrating is an integral part of Mallorcan life and

“fiestas” play an important part in keeping traditional local culture alive.

In January, Mallorca’s villages and the city of Palma celebrate the fiesta of Sant Antoni, the patron saint of animals. During the day, a special mass is held when residents gather at the village church with their pets and animals, from hamsters to horses, to be blessed by the local priest. At night fires are lit on the streets with open grills to cook “botifarró” sausages and grill slices of country bread for the “sobrassada”, a spicy pork paté, all washed down with plenty of wine. Typically, the “dimonis” devils put on a noisy and spectacular firework display to ward off evil spirits.

In Palma, they celebrate Sant Sebastià, the city’s patron saint, with fires, open grills and music. All the major squares in the centre are transformed into stages and the city buzzes with music, from pop and rock to latin and jazz.

Summer is also an important time for fiestas across the island and some of the liveliest take place in Sóller, Pollensa and Santa Ponsa with the re-enactment of the historic “Moors and Christians” battle. This tends to be a colourful, noisy affair when locals dress up in historical costumes (which differ depending on which side they have elected to “fight” for) and a rowdy battle ensues. Summer is also an important time for fiestas across the island and some of the liveliest take place in Sóller, Pollensa and Santa Ponsa with the re-enactment of the historic “Moors and Christians” battle. This tends to be a colourful, noisy affair when locals dress up in historical costumes (which differ depending on which side they have elected to “fight” for) and a rowdy battle ensues.

Food

Much of the traditional Mallorcan cuisine

is based on simple country fare that harks back to times when people had to survive on whatever crops, meat and fish were available. The “matanzas”, the slaughter of a pig in winter, provided a variety of traditional dishes including the famous “sobrassada” and “botifarró” and “camaiot” sausages. Typical dishes include tumbet (similar to ratatouille); pa amb oli (country bread rubbed with tomato and with various toppings); frito (made with meat, offal, vegetables and herbs); arroz brut (a rice stew with meat and vegetables); caracoles (snails); empanadas (savoury meat and vegetable pies) and the famous ensaimada (a round flat pastry made with flour and lard).

So whatever the time of the year you can always join the locals in their celebration of all colourful, vibrant and wonderful Mallorca.