Something Happened: Picnics, fiestas and fairs

You can never be entirely sure when "fiestas" end. Easter has come and gone, or has it? Today they're having a picnic at the cave of Sant Marti in Alcúdia. They have had picnics elsewhere this past week. One of the most important was that at the hermitage in Crestatx between Sa Pobla and Pollensa. Five thousand took part in the procession from Sa Pobla to Crestatx with the image of Santa Margalida. Campanet also had its picnic, the local "arroz brut" (rice dish) was served up and there was dancing and there were games, as well as the climbing of a soapy pine. Ever the tradition. It gets repeated year round.

These are the "pancaritats", the post-Easter celebrations. Fiestas just go on and on. At Sant Marti, there will be, in addition to the mass picnic, a mass and a choral concert. One trusts that the cave has been scrubbed of the offending graffiti that had been daubed inside.

While the "alcudiencs" walk to the cave, the people of Pollensa will be engaged in a different sort of celebration - the half marathon. Roads will be closed, as roads are often closed. On Thursday, the carretera (main road) in Playa de Muro was shut for several hours to accommodate a cycling event. Even someone from a cycling shop reckoned that this was an inconvenience. There is road closing and then there is main road closing.

Everything comes around. Each year. Much the same as last year and the years before. The continuity of fiestas and picnics have been joined by the current-day continuity of "events" - races, cycling. Whoever said that there are times when things don't happen in Mallorca? It's hard to know when something isn't happening.

But everything merges into one. Same as last year. In a week's time there will be the boat and sepia (cuttlefish) fairs in Puerto Alcúdia. There was a media event to announce the fairs last week. One didn't even need to attend to know what it would be like. Same as last year. The same dignitaries, only the Miquel had changed; mayor Llompart rather than Ferrer. The same presentations. What can you say that is fundamentally different to before? A boat fair and a cuttlefish fair. They don't differ greatly year to year. The minister for agriculture and fisheries put in an appearance - as she did last year. She probably gets a better reception among the fishermen of Alcúdia than the agriculturalists of Sa Pobla - the potato-growers who have accused her department of breaking promises regarding financial help.

And then you do have to wonder why they devote so much energy in announcing these annual events; the events which are much the same each year. In Alcúdia, the press, the telly and the radio were there to hear the same sort of words. They could have used last year's footage. Why is it necessary to have these "launches", to pay for the large banner behind the dignitaries, to provide the free nosebag? It's all very nice, all very pleasant, but it's another aspect of that continuity - of something always happening but nothing's happening. And nothing's happening because everyone is perpetually engaged in that something happening. You wonder, you do wonder, how anything ever gets done here, or how anything happens.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.