THE QUARTER OF CALATRAVA & 'EL DRAC DE NA COCA'

Contemplating the Cathedral, Palma

Today, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma are still in Palma.

Claire is very interested in knowing more things about the Legend of the Drac de Na Coca and The Grandma wants to search her family roots in the Jewish quarter of Calatrava.

The Grandma has also wanted to remember and homage Miquel, one of her old friends who left her some years ago, a great pastry cook and a better person.

Before starting to walk across the old streets of the city The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practice manual (Vocabulary 3).

More information: Vocabulary 3-Free Time

In Calatrava, you live very central in the Old Town of Palma in genuine medieval surroundings, close to the sea and the city beach Ca'n Pere Antoni.

On cobbled stone streets you can walk through the area where history is present everywhere you go.

Wide vaults over the entrances of the buildings are very common to see, as in days past, people used to ride (took out with) horse carriages through the entrance and keep the horses and the carts parked in the patio. Nowadays the stables are rebuilt into garages or green patios where you can have dinner al fresco.

The first floor is called the Planta Noble, as that is where the family lived. The servant lived on the second floor and upstairs, in the attic, was where they held small animals like rabbits and hens.

More information: Red Juderías

In Calatrava you can find a couple of cosy cafés and restaurants. You will also find web agencies, vegan shops and art galleries.

The Grandma with Ramon Llull in Sant Francesc Church

Walking along, you will suddenly discover that you are no longer on the narrow small streets, but instead on the old historical city wall that goes in front of the gothic Cathedral and all you will see is the blue sky and the sea. The park and lake in front is called Parc de Mar which offers a café with views of the Cathedral and the water.

Calatrava is a truly historical and well kept area with a tranquil atmosphere and a perfect location between the centre of Palma and the beach.

You will immerse yourself in the history, mysteries and fun facts of the Jewish community that lived in Palma de Mallorca before and after their exile or conversion up to the 20th Century.

It’s a round tour that begins in Plaça Santa Eulàlia and finishes at the same place. We will deal with different terms used to describe places, customs, religion and the society of the Hebrew community of Mallorca.

More information: Jewish Virtual Library

During the Middle and part of the Modern Age, in Palma there were two calls jueus, that refers to the Jewish quarter of the Aragon Kingdom. Even though being located nearby the most touristic areas in Palma such as the Cathedral, Plaça Cort and Plaça Major, the Jewish district is known for its serenity, peace and quietness that you feel among its streets and alleys.

The main subject will be the Hebrew community in Mallorca from its beginnings until the first half of the 15th Century, when their definitive christian conversion took place or their exile to safer lands, where they could start a new life. Futhermore, we will talk about the life of the converted descendants, also called xuetes, within Mallorcan society up to the current Hebrew community of the Balearic Islands.

Its history, legends, anecdotes and characters will be combined with curiosities, aspects and the everyday life in a medieval city such as Ciutat de Mallorques. Moreover, we will admire one of the most important stately homes of the old town hidden among the narrow streets and alleys of the Jewish quarter or Call Jueu of Palma.

More information: The Guardian

The Drac de Na Coca takes part in the town crier procession and participates in the fire festival accompanied by a host of fire beasts from other towns.

The reason behind the construction of this fire beast is to provide Palma with another emblem linked to popular tradition to join the existing imagery of creatures such as the gegants (giants) and capgrossos (big heads).

 

The Drac in Puresa Street and in the Diocesan Museum

This beast has its roots in one of the most epic legends of the city of Palma which tells of a dragon which lived in the city, roaming around its drains. This modern Drac de Na Coca will be carried around the city by the geganters or giants of Palma City Council. It weighs 50 kilos, and is 180 cm tall and 183 cm wide.

The legend of El Drac de Na Coca is one of the most epic legends there is. It begins in around 1776, when rumour began to spread in Palma that a great dragon came out at night in La Portella neighbourhood. Those living near the cathedral claimed to hear strange, disturbing noises in the night.

Later, people began to say that some children had been devoured by a terrible beast. At last, someone saw the diabolical dragon in Can Clapers street. One night, the noble knight Bartomeu Coc was on his way to his fiancée's house on Portella street when he heard a strange noise. By the faint light of a streetlamp he could make out the figure of the dreaded reptile which was preparing to make a charge at him.

The noble Coc unsheathed his sword and killed the beast with one clean blow. The dragon that had been terrorising the neighbourhood turned out to be a crocodile which had inexplicably arrived to the island and grown up in the sewers of Palma. The reptile was stuffed and is still preserved today in the Diocesan Museum.

Mallorcan singer Maria del Mar Bonet sings a popular version of the legend in the song El Drac de Na Coca.

More information: BKPS

 Pel carrer de Sa Portella, quan la nit cau,
diuen que hi surt una bèstia; valga'ns Déu, val!
S'engoleix les criatures, valga'ns Déu, val!
Les mares de Sa Portella ploren d'espant.

On the street of Sa Portella, when the night falls,
They say that there is a beast there; oh my God,
It eats the children, oh my God!
The mothers of Sa Portella cry afraid.

El Drac de Na Coca, Popular Song