POLLENSA RESIDENTS ONCE AGAIN DEFEAT THE PIRATES IN NOISY BATTLE

BEMUSED tourists wondered what was going on as they got caught up in the hordes of white robed Pollensa residents and pirates in colourful costumes, staging their annual re-enactment of a pirate rade which took place in 1550. The pirates, led by the fierce Dragut, who went on to become governor of Tripoli, numbered 1'500 and they entered the town during the night, thinking they would not meet with any opposition. But local hero Joan Mas rallied his fellow townsmen, and they fought off the pirates after a fierce battle through the main streets.
Playing the roles of Dragut and Joan Mas is considered an honour, and candidates are selected in a fiercely fought election.
The re-enactment has been staged every year since the mid-19th century, except for the period of the Spanish Civil War.