If you don't already know, you may be interested to learn that the day of Immaculate Conception, 8 December, marks the traditional start of the nativity scene-making season. It's not official, as you can get cracking on the manger and the animals whenever you fancy, but tradition - and don't we know it - has its place in Mallorcan and Spanish society and also in the calendar. Hence, 8 December is really when the nativity figurines need to be dragged out of the attic and dusted down for another festive season, one which lasts until ... . Well, when does it really stop? It may not be the same across the rest of the country but in Mallorca, no sooner have the Kings been and delivered their presents, than the natives are building bonfires and preparing to roar around the streets, setting fire to the place. The saints Anthony and Sebastian have a great deal to commend them but they do rather get in the way.
It does of course depend upon your perspective and also has something to do with where you live. Not everywhere downs tools because of Tony and Seb's feast days, but even where they don't, there are still fiestas to be had. And what's more, it's only a couple of weeks before everyone's out on the streets again, this time shunning their demons' outfits in favour of lavish costumes for Carnival.
The Christmas festivities, let's call them winter festivities in order to get to their lengthy essence, straddle some two months - longer if Carnival is later - and then, once the final sardine has been buried at Carnival, it's a case of soon be Easter.
It is tempting to conclude that no one is, therefore, working over all this time. It is an erroneous conclusion. There are, after all, the short-contract shop employees who are brought in for the Christmas season and then winter sales. Others are hard at it, such as the legal profession, charged with overseeing the future of the King's sister. Footballers are footballing, except when they have their week off and can catch a cheeky Christmas mince pie and glass of ginger wine.
Stereotyping is a trap that is easily fallen into, and apparent idleness is one that Mallorca and Spain shares with other parts of the Mediterranean. As the German newspaper "Bild" once demanded of the Greeks: "get up early and work all day", just like the Germans. But the winter festivities highlight not so much a reluctance to work as a mentality issue that surrounds the "puente" bridge weekend, of which there are potentially various ones throughout the year.
"The Wall Street Journal", in looking at the bridge-weekend phenomenon, made an assessment which led it to suggest that it is possible, what with paid time off as well, to have fifty days off a year. It also discovered that, apparently, employees needed bridge weekends as these were escape valves from the pressures of work. It has been said that the Spanish do in fact, and in general, work longer hours than most other Europeans. By the same token, however, there have been surveys to suggest that they don't. You pays your money ... .
At the heart of all this are concerns regarding productivity and competitiveness. If there is a stereotyping, then it is one that the Spanish government (currently acting government) shares. The move to alter public holidays so that if they fall on, for example, a Tuesday, they are taken instead on a Monday was a deliberate attempt to put an end to the extended bridge weekend. If the Tuesday is a holiday, then so is the Monday (and possibly the rest of the week), and there has long been a temptation, so it has been said, to indeed consider this to be a week off.
The government doesn't seem to have gone ahead with this. Immaculate Conception will fall on a Thursday this year, two days after Constitution Day. There goes a week for you, and a whole bridge week not assisted by the apparent daftness of having two national holidays within the space of three days. In truth, most of these public holidays don't lend themselves to be being moved. They are so much part of the calendar, whether for religious or secular reasons.
Might a change in government be more insistent on moving these days? If it turns out to be one influenced by anti-religious sentiment, then perhaps so, but any politician needs to be wary with tampering with the holiday love affair and so therefore upsetting the citizens.
The bridges and the extended winter festivities seem unlikely to disappear any time soon, and the tourism/travel industry will hope to goodness that they don't: bridge weekends are good business. Still, there are always those for whom these holidays are all but irrelevant. Like those who work for newspapers. Day off? What's that?
Showing posts with label Public holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public holidays. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Immaculate Misconceptions: Mallorca's holidays
There are misconceptions surrounding public holidays in Mallorca, not least the misconception related to the day off for Immaculate Conception. It is not the day when Mary was mysteriously taken by the Holy Ghost, or whoever it was; that was in fact on 25 March, which isn't a public holiday. What makes 8 December immaculate is that this was when Mary was conceived. Or at least I think that's what it's all about, unless I am labouring under a misconception. Or maybe Mary went into labour having had a misconception. I really don't know. But on 1 May I wouldn't be labouring under a misconception, as this is Labour Day. So, no chance of getting that wrong.
What there is every chance of is forgetting that a public holiday is a public holiday because it does not coincide with one from the land in which one was raised, as is the case with Immaculate Conception. The misconception, however, is that there is a public holiday in Mallorca approximately every fortnight. In England there are eight holiday days, in Mallorca there are thirteen. So, not so many more after all.
However, there is a bit of latitude. Officially, any municipality can have a maximum of fourteen holidays a year, which gives it room for manoeuvre to add the local patron saint's day. I say officially, but there is a bit of craftiness that goes on. In Alcúdia, as an example, there is a saint's day for the town itself (Sant Jaume) and one for the port (Sant Pere). A holiday in the old town is not strictly speaking a holiday in the port or vice versa, but of course this is what happens. Indeed it would be difficult to think how it couldn't happen, given that they are the same municipality. Then there are holidays which are nothing to do with the likes of Alcúdia directly but which have sort of crept in, such as Sants Antoni and Sebastian in January. They aren't holidays, but unofficially have become so.
Where confusion and further misconception as to the number of holidays can arise is with this business of municipalities deciding. I'll give you a case in point. One day I happened to go along to the municipal building in Playa de Muro wherein is the local sub-post office. Tourist information was open as usual, but the post office was shut. "Fiesta," came the word from the helpful Cati at the information reception. "Fiesta? Where? Not here there isn't." "No. In Can Picafort." "But this is Muro." "Yes, but the post office is in Can Picafort." There was something distinctly fishy about this. The post office quite clearly wasn't in Can Picafort. It, or rather its locked door, was staring me in the face. "The main post office is in Can Picafort," added Cati. "But there's a main post office in Muro town." "Yes, but this one doesn't belong to it. It's Can Picafort's."
More fool I, of course, for having forgotten that this was the duck-tossing day off in Can Picafort and for not being intimately associated with the intricacies of postal service organization. Similarly, were one in Can Picafort and wanted, on the same day, to go to the local Eroski, it would be shut. If you were none the wiser, and why would you be, you might assume that all supermarkets would be closed. But they wouldn't be. There would be another Eroski a short drive away in Alcúdia that would be open. Perish the thought though that Eroski, being a Basque company, might decide to apply the Basque Country Day to its Mallorcan shops as from next year when the day is to be introduced.
Despite this confusion, there is, if you are of a mind to think like this, the potential to increase your own personal number of holidays substantially. Bear in mind that on 15 August, you can be on one side of the roundabout entering Can Picafort from Playa de Muro and you will be working. Go to the other side, and you'll be on holiday. How many municipalities are there in Mallorca? 53? Something like that. Each with its own saint's day. Even allowing for the fact that some towns have the same saints, my guess is that you could, by moving around the island, be on holiday for at least 50 days of the year. Now you're talking. And now you're also talking about how those misconceptions aren't so misconceived after all.
But to return to the hard core of nationally or regionally observed holidays, two are relatively recent additions. Balearics Day is one, Constitution Day the other, and it has been a holiday since 1979 and celebrates the referendum on the constitution that was held on 6 December 1978. But why did they choose 6 December? The Constitution had been approved on 31 October of that year. It actually came into effect on 29 December. 31 October might have made sense, as 1 November was already a national holiday. But no, 6 December it was, with 7 December between it and Immaculate Conception. It was all another bit of craftiness, as it means there is a three-day holiday. And 29 December wouldn't have meant much, because from now until 6 January and indeed further on until Antoni and Sebastian, it's all pretty much a holiday anyway.
Misconceptions? Maybe not. Happy holidays.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
What there is every chance of is forgetting that a public holiday is a public holiday because it does not coincide with one from the land in which one was raised, as is the case with Immaculate Conception. The misconception, however, is that there is a public holiday in Mallorca approximately every fortnight. In England there are eight holiday days, in Mallorca there are thirteen. So, not so many more after all.
However, there is a bit of latitude. Officially, any municipality can have a maximum of fourteen holidays a year, which gives it room for manoeuvre to add the local patron saint's day. I say officially, but there is a bit of craftiness that goes on. In Alcúdia, as an example, there is a saint's day for the town itself (Sant Jaume) and one for the port (Sant Pere). A holiday in the old town is not strictly speaking a holiday in the port or vice versa, but of course this is what happens. Indeed it would be difficult to think how it couldn't happen, given that they are the same municipality. Then there are holidays which are nothing to do with the likes of Alcúdia directly but which have sort of crept in, such as Sants Antoni and Sebastian in January. They aren't holidays, but unofficially have become so.
Where confusion and further misconception as to the number of holidays can arise is with this business of municipalities deciding. I'll give you a case in point. One day I happened to go along to the municipal building in Playa de Muro wherein is the local sub-post office. Tourist information was open as usual, but the post office was shut. "Fiesta," came the word from the helpful Cati at the information reception. "Fiesta? Where? Not here there isn't." "No. In Can Picafort." "But this is Muro." "Yes, but the post office is in Can Picafort." There was something distinctly fishy about this. The post office quite clearly wasn't in Can Picafort. It, or rather its locked door, was staring me in the face. "The main post office is in Can Picafort," added Cati. "But there's a main post office in Muro town." "Yes, but this one doesn't belong to it. It's Can Picafort's."
More fool I, of course, for having forgotten that this was the duck-tossing day off in Can Picafort and for not being intimately associated with the intricacies of postal service organization. Similarly, were one in Can Picafort and wanted, on the same day, to go to the local Eroski, it would be shut. If you were none the wiser, and why would you be, you might assume that all supermarkets would be closed. But they wouldn't be. There would be another Eroski a short drive away in Alcúdia that would be open. Perish the thought though that Eroski, being a Basque company, might decide to apply the Basque Country Day to its Mallorcan shops as from next year when the day is to be introduced.
Despite this confusion, there is, if you are of a mind to think like this, the potential to increase your own personal number of holidays substantially. Bear in mind that on 15 August, you can be on one side of the roundabout entering Can Picafort from Playa de Muro and you will be working. Go to the other side, and you'll be on holiday. How many municipalities are there in Mallorca? 53? Something like that. Each with its own saint's day. Even allowing for the fact that some towns have the same saints, my guess is that you could, by moving around the island, be on holiday for at least 50 days of the year. Now you're talking. And now you're also talking about how those misconceptions aren't so misconceived after all.
But to return to the hard core of nationally or regionally observed holidays, two are relatively recent additions. Balearics Day is one, Constitution Day the other, and it has been a holiday since 1979 and celebrates the referendum on the constitution that was held on 6 December 1978. But why did they choose 6 December? The Constitution had been approved on 31 October of that year. It actually came into effect on 29 December. 31 October might have made sense, as 1 November was already a national holiday. But no, 6 December it was, with 7 December between it and Immaculate Conception. It was all another bit of craftiness, as it means there is a three-day holiday. And 29 December wouldn't have meant much, because from now until 6 January and indeed further on until Antoni and Sebastian, it's all pretty much a holiday anyway.
Misconceptions? Maybe not. Happy holidays.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
One Of The Three
December is the month for holidays. No really, even more so than most other months. Today and Saturday are both public holidays: one political, one religious – Constitution Day and Immaculate Conception. Today’s celebration relates to the fact that a referendum on the constitution for the post-Franco democratic Spain was held on the 6th December 1978. Under the constitution, in addition to statements of democracy and law, there are provisions for regional self-government and the exercise of languages. These were things negated during the Franco era. Regional autonomy and the variety of languages are two of the most profound elements of both the constitution and today’s Spain. But both lead to their tensions, not least in respect of the degree to which a local language takes precedence over the national language of Castilian or vice versa. That is no more so the case than in Mallorca and within the local educational sector, a battleground for the competing requirements of the national language and of Catalan and Mallorquín. For many, it is an absurdity that Castilian, a world language of greater practical benefit, might be subjugated not just by Catalan but also by the more obscure local version. The language issue is not one about to go away. The leader of the Partido Popular nationally, Mariano Rajoy, seems to have a particular thing about the dominance of Castilian: the national elections are only a few months away.
But while on the absurd, the fact that there are two public holidays over three days means that the intervening day, the 7th December, becomes a de facto holiday as well – the bridge or in local terms “puente” (Castilian, that is). If the intention had been, back in 1978, that subsequent anniversaries of the referendum were to be public holidays, why wasn’t it held on the 7th or the 9th or at some other time? Immaculate Conception has long been a holiday in the Catholic calendar. Might it not have made more sense had …? (Could an answer as to why there is a day’s gap be that otherwise there would be occasions when the two days would coincide with a weekend.)
Anyway, just coming back to the constitution, “Ultima Hora” presents the findings of a survey within the Balearics as to people’s satisfaction or not with the constitution as it stands. Not that surprisingly, a strong majority (78%) say that they are satisfied. I say not surprisingly as, is the constitution something people really pay much attention to, except when a pollster comes along and asks?
And after this spate of days off, we have Christmas. It is coming, the goose is getting fat, all that. The lights are being put up, though with energy-saving in mind. The shops are playing naff music. The papers have special recipes. Pretty much like anywhere, even if Christmas is less of an orgy of credit-card busting here than it is in the UK. Still, for those locally who need their anglo-Christmas fill, as always pleased to put in a word for my chums at Little Britain supermarket in Puerto Alcúdia: turkeys and all the trimmings, mince pies, brandy sauce, Christmas puddings, chocolates, cards … . To Steve and Urbano at Little Britain, God rest ye merry gentlemen. Well from the 25th at any rate.
QUIZ
Yesterday – “Going Underground”, The Jam. Today’s title – song by Manchester-ish group, think jam and add two.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
But while on the absurd, the fact that there are two public holidays over three days means that the intervening day, the 7th December, becomes a de facto holiday as well – the bridge or in local terms “puente” (Castilian, that is). If the intention had been, back in 1978, that subsequent anniversaries of the referendum were to be public holidays, why wasn’t it held on the 7th or the 9th or at some other time? Immaculate Conception has long been a holiday in the Catholic calendar. Might it not have made more sense had …? (Could an answer as to why there is a day’s gap be that otherwise there would be occasions when the two days would coincide with a weekend.)
Anyway, just coming back to the constitution, “Ultima Hora” presents the findings of a survey within the Balearics as to people’s satisfaction or not with the constitution as it stands. Not that surprisingly, a strong majority (78%) say that they are satisfied. I say not surprisingly as, is the constitution something people really pay much attention to, except when a pollster comes along and asks?
And after this spate of days off, we have Christmas. It is coming, the goose is getting fat, all that. The lights are being put up, though with energy-saving in mind. The shops are playing naff music. The papers have special recipes. Pretty much like anywhere, even if Christmas is less of an orgy of credit-card busting here than it is in the UK. Still, for those locally who need their anglo-Christmas fill, as always pleased to put in a word for my chums at Little Britain supermarket in Puerto Alcúdia: turkeys and all the trimmings, mince pies, brandy sauce, Christmas puddings, chocolates, cards … . To Steve and Urbano at Little Britain, God rest ye merry gentlemen. Well from the 25th at any rate.
QUIZ
Yesterday – “Going Underground”, The Jam. Today’s title – song by Manchester-ish group, think jam and add two.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The Start Of Summer
First of May. Public holiday.
When isn’t it a public holiday here? I get endlessly confused by public holidays. Just when you think it’s some religious deal, turns out to be nothing of the sort, like Constitution Day. So May 1 is boring old Labour Day. Not a saint in sight. You could be forgiven for thinking that the only saint who is not celebrated here is Simon Templar.
Not that Labour Day will be given its rightful celebration. Oh no. The first year in Britain when this became a holiday I was still at university. My what a craic. We kidnapped a prominent member of the Socialist Workers’ Party, got him drunk and took compromising photos. All in the best of taste of course.
Spain may have enjoyed something of an economic miracle, but it still tries its hardest to suppress productivity. Take a saint, any old saint will do. Have a holiday.
That economic miracle, that economic boom, has been based to a large extent on property, and property prices. Well, things are not looking so good. The Spanish stock market has been hit by investors divesting their property stocks in anticipation of the bubble bursting in the Spanish property market. About time, too. Property is overpriced. Not necessarily wonderful news for all those on Estate Agent Street in Puerto Pollensa. Or maybe it will be, if property becomes more affordable.
But back to saints. The Catalan for saint is sant. I heard a joke yesterday. Who’s the saint for food? Santwich. Doesn’t really work in its written form, but I thought it was quite funny.
One other thing about the first of May is that denotes the start of summer, in that here spring and autumn more or less don’t register in people’s consciousnesses. Summer is May to October, in other words the main tourist season.
Pop quiz – the title of the last piece came from Jefferson Starship, in the days when they still were Jefferson.
Index for April
British products - 17 April 2007
Cafe Bony - 17 April 2007
Can Picafort - 27 April 2007
Corruption - 27 April 2007
Cyclists - 19 April 2007, 25 Apirl 2007, 27 April 2007
Didis Coast Adeventure - 25 April 2007
Driving - 7 April 2007
Eroski Syp - 17 April 2007
Estate agencies - 19 April 2007
Grupo Boulevard - 11 April 2007
Language -17 April 2007, 19 April 2007, 21 April 2007
Peter Maffay - 25 April 2007
Nordic walking - 25 April 2007
Parking - 3 April 2007
Religion - 11 April 2007
Road deaths - 13 April 2007
Roads - 20 April 2007
Roundabouts - 7 April 2007
Sa Pobla Cricket Club - 1 April 2007
Sunbeds - 27 April 2007
Taste of India - 3 April 2007
Tourists - 3 April 2007, 7 April 2007
Traditions - 21 April 2007
Trencadora - 25 April 2007
Vamps - 3 April 2007, 11 April 2007, 15 April 2007
Weather - 13 April 2007
(PLEASE REPLY TO info@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE. TA.)
When isn’t it a public holiday here? I get endlessly confused by public holidays. Just when you think it’s some religious deal, turns out to be nothing of the sort, like Constitution Day. So May 1 is boring old Labour Day. Not a saint in sight. You could be forgiven for thinking that the only saint who is not celebrated here is Simon Templar.
Not that Labour Day will be given its rightful celebration. Oh no. The first year in Britain when this became a holiday I was still at university. My what a craic. We kidnapped a prominent member of the Socialist Workers’ Party, got him drunk and took compromising photos. All in the best of taste of course.
Spain may have enjoyed something of an economic miracle, but it still tries its hardest to suppress productivity. Take a saint, any old saint will do. Have a holiday.
That economic miracle, that economic boom, has been based to a large extent on property, and property prices. Well, things are not looking so good. The Spanish stock market has been hit by investors divesting their property stocks in anticipation of the bubble bursting in the Spanish property market. About time, too. Property is overpriced. Not necessarily wonderful news for all those on Estate Agent Street in Puerto Pollensa. Or maybe it will be, if property becomes more affordable.
But back to saints. The Catalan for saint is sant. I heard a joke yesterday. Who’s the saint for food? Santwich. Doesn’t really work in its written form, but I thought it was quite funny.
One other thing about the first of May is that denotes the start of summer, in that here spring and autumn more or less don’t register in people’s consciousnesses. Summer is May to October, in other words the main tourist season.
Pop quiz – the title of the last piece came from Jefferson Starship, in the days when they still were Jefferson.
Index for April
British products - 17 April 2007
Cafe Bony - 17 April 2007
Can Picafort - 27 April 2007
Corruption - 27 April 2007
Cyclists - 19 April 2007, 25 Apirl 2007, 27 April 2007
Didis Coast Adeventure - 25 April 2007
Driving - 7 April 2007
Eroski Syp - 17 April 2007
Estate agencies - 19 April 2007
Grupo Boulevard - 11 April 2007
Language -17 April 2007, 19 April 2007, 21 April 2007
Peter Maffay - 25 April 2007
Nordic walking - 25 April 2007
Parking - 3 April 2007
Religion - 11 April 2007
Road deaths - 13 April 2007
Roads - 20 April 2007
Roundabouts - 7 April 2007
Sa Pobla Cricket Club - 1 April 2007
Sunbeds - 27 April 2007
Taste of India - 3 April 2007
Tourists - 3 April 2007, 7 April 2007
Traditions - 21 April 2007
Trencadora - 25 April 2007
Vamps - 3 April 2007, 11 April 2007, 15 April 2007
Weather - 13 April 2007
(PLEASE REPLY TO info@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE. TA.)
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