Christianity and traditional celebrations
Although Catholicism has a tendency to fade in Spain, it continues to play a determining role in the course of the year. In fact, in addition to the many religious holidays that punctuate the calendar, the Fiesta de los Reyes de Oriente or the Semana Santa are moments of authentic religious fervor. The towns and villages of the island also celebrate their patron saint's day every year with great pomp and circumstance: these are important moments when young and old meet.
Thus, thanks are given to the Virgen del Carmen, patroness of fishermen, in all the ports of the Balearic Islands on July 16th (in La Savina and Es Pujols), and even at sea. The tradition is to throw a laurel wreath into the sea at around 7 p.m. as an offering, and then to perform the ball pagès (traditional dance of the Pityuses). Sant Jaume, protector of the island, is honored on July 25 in Sant Francesc. On August 5, the day of the Mare de Déu de les Neus, the patron saint of the Pityuse Islands, is celebrated in both Ibiza and Formentera. Religious rituals are held in Sant Ferran for the eponymous feast day on 30 May, while in Sant Francesc the patron saint's day is celebrated on 3 December. The patron saint of Spain, Nuestra Senora del Pilar, is celebrated throughout Spain at the same time as Pilar de la Mola on October 12.
These religious celebrations are combined with older pagan festivals such as Sant Joan, a true celebration of summer. In another register, the Flower Power festival, a hippy legacy, is held three times during the summer: the first takes place at the end of June in Pilar de la Mola, the following ones in the square of Sant Ferran and on the beach of Es Pujols. In a psychedelic atmosphere, we dance until the early morning, wearing makeup and flower necklaces, to funk, rock and disco music from the 1960s, 70s and 80s!
The legend of the Viking King and the treasure of Formentera
The history of Formentera is full of episodes related to the sea, fishermen and pirates. One of these legends, which comes to us from chronicles dating back to the Viking era (tenth century), relates the adventure of King Sigurd in Formentera. The stories of a crew returning from Jerusalem and the sight of their opulent booty would have piqued the interest of Sigurd, newly crowned. He then decided to set up a barge to start a new campaign towards Jerusalem. After sailing along the French coast and past Gibraltar, Sigurd and his Viking fleet finally reached the shores of Formentera. Having heard of a legend according to which pirates were hiding a treasure in the hollow of a cliff of the Mola, Sigurd would have elaborated a plan to chase the pirates and steal their wealth.
The cave being inaccessible from the sea, the crew would have succeeded in mounting one of their longships on the top of the cliff and would have lowered it, thanks to a system of ropes, to the excavation. The Vikings thus suspended would then have set fire to the entrance of the cave in order to fill it with smoke, forcing its occupants to leave. And this is what the pirates ended up doing. King Sigurd showed no compassion for the poor bastards at his mercy and spared none of them.
Whether the Vikings found the famous treasure, whether they took it with them on the road to Jerusalem or whether they hid it between Ibiza and Formentera, history does not say. What has remained, however, is the name of the cave: the Cova des Fum (Smoke Cave)!
