Sant Joan Festival

CIUTADELLA DE MENORCA Sant Joan Festival

They take place at the beginning of summer with the solstice, celebrating the longest day of the year and the shortest night, which is spent with festivities, music, and fire, in the hope that the sun will provide new and fresh food and put an end to the darkness and scarcity of winter. They are festivals with centuries of tradition, of religious origin, where the clamour of the farmers mixes with that of the nobles and artisans who bravely defended the city in times of siege. The horsemen who are the protagonists of the festivals, in their traditional attire, are those who make up the "Junta de Caixers" and represent the old society of Ciutadella: nobility, clergy, artisans, and farmers. Like the ancient guilds, they are appointed to hold these positions for a two-year term.

Basic lexicon of the Sant Joan Festival of Ciutadella de Menorca

· Junta de Caixers: maximum governing body of the festival · Caixer Capellà: representative of the church · Caixer: representative of the nobility · Caixer Pagès: representative of the farmers · Caixer Menestral: representative of the artisans · Caixer Fadrí: representative of the church · Fabioler: the person who, riding a donkey and playing the flute, calls to the festivals · Jaleo: moment when the riders make their mounts stand on their hind legs · Ses Corregudes: horse games and races · Ensortilla: inserting a ring on a lance at a full horse gallop · Carotes: games for pairs of riders riding at full speed · Caragol d'es Born: the riders ride through the streets of the old town of Ciutadella

Diumenge d'es bè (Lamb Sunday)

This name is known as the Sunday before the Saint's day and marks the beginning of the celebrations. This is the day when all members of the Junta de Caixers gather at the palace of the Caixer Senyor, where the flag is handed to the Caixer Fadrí.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, the Fabioler plays the drum and the fabiol (flute) for the first time; then, following a strict order, the procession visits the town hall, the Bishop, the nobles, the riders participating in the cavalcade, other authorities, invited entities, and private homes, where it is customary to make a financial donation. In ancient times, the collections were intended for the Saint's guild to defray expenses.

The most striking character, who only participates on this day, is s'Homo d'es bè, a man dressed in lambskins with crosses painted on his feet and arms, who arrives carrying a lamb on his shoulders. He is the living symbology of Saint John the Baptist.

Junta de Caixers

The City Council of Ciutadella, in an extraordinary session on July 9th, a date commemorating the historic defence of the city in the year 1558, publicly announces every two years the appointment of the people who have been chosen to form the junta de caixers. The board consists of the following positions:

CAIXER CAPELLÀ: takes care of the religious aspect of the festival, presides over the prayers said at the hermitage of Sant Joan on the eve of Sant Joan, and celebrates the Missa des Caixers on the day of the patron saint.

CAIXER SENYOR: elected from among the members of the old nobility of Ciutadella, he is the one who presides over the festival and who is in charge of the proper functioning of all the acts.

CAIXER PAGÈS: there are two, and they must come from different districts, one from the Migjorn (to the South) and the other from the Tramuntana (to the North). It is the responsibility of the Caixers pagesos to ensure the good order of the cavalcade and to donate the lamb for the commemoration of the day before.

CAIXER MENESTRAL O CASAT: represents the artisan class; to be chosen, one must practice a manual, artisanal trade, with the essential condition of being married and the son of an artisan.

CAIXER FADRÍ: this position alternates every two years, one is an artisan and the other a farmer. He must necessarily be single and is the one who carries the flag during the official acts of the festival.

FABIOLER: does not strictly belong to the Junta de Caixers, as he is a public official placed at the service of the Caixer Senyor. He is in charge of giving warnings with the drum and the fabiol (flute) during the course of the festival.

Eve of Sant Joan - Dissabte de Sant Joan (Saturday of Sant Joan)

At two in the afternoon, the Fabioler, riding a young donkey, heads to the palace of the Caixer Senyor to request permission to begin the acts. The most relevant acts are: · The opening of the festival in the Plaza d'Es Born · The spectacular Caragol (snail) d'Es Born · The visit to the Saint's hermitage for liturgical acts. · The Corregudes (races) at sunset on the port esplanade (Corregudes a Es Pla) · The Caragol (snail) of Santa Clara

Sant Joan Day

Early in the morning, the Fabioler returns to the streets to gather the other members of the cavalcade. As on the previous day, the festival has two important acts: the Misa de los Caixers, which is celebrated in the Cathedral, and the Caragol de Santa Clara.

The Misa de los Caixers is the most important religious act of the festival; therefore, it should be remembered that an act of this type must be viewed with attention and respect. In the afternoon, the cavalcade goes down to the Pla where the municipal corporation waits, together with the brass band that will liven up the festival as it did in the Caragol d'Es Born.

After the first Caragol, the Jocs de s'ensortilla, Carotes, and mounted embrace races take place. Once these are finished, the last Caragol is performed, and with it, the acts of es Pla end. The cavalcade returns, as it did the night before, to ses Voltes and ends the festival with the Caragol de Santa Clara. If you want to make the festival last a little longer, you have to wait for the riders to leave the house of the Caixer Senyor and go to accompany the Caixer Capellà to his house. If you do this, you will attend the farewell of the Caixer Capellà and that of all the other Caixers and riders, and you will be able to listen in silence to the last sounds of the drum and the fabiol.

Recommendations from the Municipal Junta of Sant Joan

The moments of maximum attention and greatest danger during the Sant Joan festival are: The Caragol d'es Born, where the Jaleo of the Saturday of Sant Joan is celebrated. The Juegos d'es Pla, on the afternoon of the day of Sant Joan, a point of maximum precaution, especially at the moment of the Corregudes, the Ensortilla, breaking the Carotes, and the mounted embraces. With the sound of the drum and the fabiol, the Fabioler will opportunely warn of the start of each test, so maximum attention, caution, and respect are necessary, as it is necessary for the public to establish and strictly maintain the corridor for the riders to pass through. It is necessary to be careful because the horses may swerve. Never cross the corridor and do not stand in the middle to take photographs.