'LES FESTES DE SANT JOAN' IN CIUTADELLA DE MENORCA

The Grandma visits Ciutadella de Menorca

Sant Joan, Saint John in English, is the patron of the Catalan Countries.

This festivity is celebrated around these lands with different events and celebrations. One of the most beautiful and amazing is celebrated in Ciutadella, Menorca.

The Grandma wants to talk about this wonderful island and about this festivity, a must in your calendar of cultural activities.

Ciutadella de Menorca or simply Ciutadella is a town and a municipality in the western end of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands. It is one of the two primary cities in the island, along with Maó.

It was founded by the Carthaginians, and became the seat of a bishop in the 4th century. After being governed by the Moors under the names of Medīna el Jezīra (Arabic: مدينة الجزيرة‎) and Medīna Menūrqa (مدينة منورقة) for several centuries, Ciutadella was recaptured during the reconquista by men serving Alfonso III and became part of the Crown of Aragon. During the Middle Ages, it became an important trading center.

On 9 July 1558, the Turks under Piyale Pasha and Turgut Reis with a powerful Turkish Armada of 140 ships and 15,000 soldiers, put the town under siege for eight days entered and decimated the town.

The town was defended by only a few hundred men. All of Ciutadella's 3,099 inhabitants who survived the siege were taken as slaves to Turkey together with other inhabitants of surrounding villages. In total, 3,452 residents were sold into slavery in the slave markets of Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey.

More information: Visit Menorca

An obelisk was set up in the 19th century by Josep Quadrado in the Plaça d'es Born in memory of the offensive, with the following inscription:

Here we fought until death for our religion and our country in the year 1558.

Every year on July 9, a commemoration takes place in Ciutadella, remembering l'Any de sa Desgràcia, or the Year of the Disaster.

Despite no longer being Menorca's capital, Ciutadella has remained the island's religious center as the Bishop refused to move. The festival of Saint John, its patron saint, takes place each year on 23 and 24 of June. The Cathedral of Menorca, located in the old quarter of Ciutadella, was built in 1287 on the foundation of an older mosque.

Festes de Sant Joan, Ciutadella

In the 17th century, many of Ciutadella's civil and religious buildings were built in the Italian style and gave it a historical and artistic unity.

Ciutadella's town hall is the former palace of the Arab governor and later served as a royal palace under the Crown of Aragon and again as a governor's palace until the British moved the capital to the eastern town of Maó in 1722.

Punta Nati Lighthouse is located due north of Ciutadella.

At the summer solstice, Ciutadella celebrates Les Festes de Sant Joan. The stately city of palaces is transformed when skilful riders and beautiful horses, festooned for the occasion, take to the streets to become the stars of a celebration that deserves to be experienced at least once in a lifetime.

Les Festes de Sant Joan de Ciutadella make up one of the most iconic, spectacular and participatory festivals in the Balearic Islands. The main festivities centre on the days of 23 and 24 June, although the celebrations get underway on the previous Sunday, the Dia des Be.

The festivities are spread over three days and governed by a strict protocol, where the main social classes of Ciutadella's bygone era are represented: the church (caixer capellà), the aristocracy (caixer senyor), the craftsmen (caixer casat i caixer fadrí) and the farmers (caixers pagesos).

More information: Menorca Live

The most eagerly awaited spectacle of Ciutadella's annual fiestas is the Caragol del Born, when more than one hundred elegantly bedecked riders make their entry into the majestic Plaça des Born. Passing among the expectant crowd, the horses rear up on their hind legs as a symbol of power and nobility.

The first caragol takes place on 23 June, when the riders parade on horseback around the Plaça del Born, followed by the procession of caixers to the Hermitage of Sant Joan de Missa, and the traditional war of hazelnuts. The Day of Sant Joan (St. John) marks the culmination of the festivities.

One of the highlights of this day are the Jocs des Pla, medieval equestrian events that take place at dusk, where riders display their prowess in tests of their skills such as spearing rings with a lance or galloping along in parallel, trying to destroy a shield decorated with a mask (ses carotes). And when this is finished, the crowd rushes in to grab pieces of the trophy, so be prepared if you want to join in.

The festes offer a perfect excuse and spectacular backdrop for discovering Ciutadella, the ancient capital of Menorca, with its charming old town, grand palaces, Church of Santa Maria, avenue of Sa Contramurada and, of course, the Plaça des Born, where you can join in most of the festivities.

On 24 June, the fiestas come to a close with a firework display.

More information: Descobreix Menorca

 -Joan, d'on véns
d'on véns tan gran dia?
-si jo t'ho contava
t'alegraries.

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