2nd of August: La Patrona de Pollensa

The annual fiestas of Pollença are known around Mallorca as one of the greatest and most splendid on the island. While we already told you about the Sant Antoni festival in winter time, now we're telling you about the town's summer-time patron-saint celebrations: la Patrona.

History of Pollença's La Patrona

At midnight on May 31^st in the year 1550, the town of Pollença was attacked by the feared corsair Dragut's pirate army. In those times the Moorish sailors were the dreaded force in the Mediterranean with their speedy assaults in which they plundered and kidnapped the locals, destroying the coast's Christian towns. Years earlier, Dragut had razed Valencia to the ground and thus Pollença appeared an easy target... Dragut's troop reached Pollença without difficulty since having seen their ships, the look-out soldiers fled in fear without warning the town. All seemed lost for the Pollençins, who until a village youth named Joan Mas woke up and out the window of his home, cried:

"Mother of God and the Angels help us, Pollençins get up, the pirates are here!"

Hundreds of Pollençins woke up and fought Dragut's numerous forces, still dressed in their pyjamas and armed with anything they could find: sticks, oars, tridents...  

The "Moros y Cristianos" Re-Enactment

After a week's celebrations with concerts and all-round celebration, the great day of La Patrona de Pollença arrives: the 2^ndof August, patron-saint day of the Mare de Déu dels Angels.

It all begins on the night of the 1st to the 2nd, with the traditional "Alborada", at 5am, a piece of music in honour of the sunrise and which the marching band plays in different emblematic places around the town.

In the morning, the cossiers and la dama dance in a spectacle well worth seeing and which is just the beginning of the day: in the afternoon Pollença is filled with thousands of curious visitors wishing to see the re-enactment, in which the town's folk dress in Moorish or Christian attire and "battle" amongst themselves for the streets of Pollença. At 7 in the evening, a young man chosen15 days earlier to play the role of Joan Mas, shouts the famous words and all hell breaks loose.

After combat on the town's football pitch, the Sarracen troops surrender to the Christians and head towards the church to celebrate their victory.