Sant Antoni fiestas in Sa Pobla, Mallorca

The Plaça Major in Sa Pobla is packed for Sant Antoni. | MDB

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterSa Pobla21/12/2020 19:30
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Sa Pobla, where the fiestas for Sant Antoni originated in the fourteenth century, has called off next month's celebrations.

The town hall announced on Monday that all events which could lead to the transmission of the virus will be cancelled. This means virtually everything, the exceptions being mass and the Compline service on Sant Antoni Eve (January 16), at which the "clamater" (the proclaimer) utters the traditional cry of "Visca Sant Antoni"; these will both be subject to strict capacity limits. A town hall statement read: "This year there will be a break, so that next year the fiestas can be enjoyed even more."

On Sant Antoni Eve, Sa Pobla attracts people from all over Mallorca. Such are the numbers that there has had to be crowd control of people in Plaça Major for highlight events - the dance of the demons and the pyromusical.

The cancellation of events was inevitable. In other municipalities which are mostly closely associated with Sant Antoni, e.g. Arta, Manacor and Pollensa, the decisions to cancel had already been taken.