As usual, I'm late posting anything Christmasy. It's FEBRUARY!! All I can say is...I'm the Worlds BEST Procrastinator!!!
I didn't do much for Christmas this year....not like I had intended anyway. I purchased tickets to 4 events but only went to 2.
The holidays in Mallorca start around the 1st of December when all the street lights are up and illuminated. Festivals, parades, and musical events stretch all the way to the 3rd week of January.
Unfortunately, my camera doesn't have the ISO speed I need to capture all the lights with clarity. But, at least you get a good idea of what the neighborhoods look like around here during the holidays. Some of the photos may be larger than your screen, so be sure to scroll left/right to see the entire pic!
One of my favorite lighting affect is outlining the leafless trees of Winter. Here, they purposely string lights only on the outer limbs that reach towards the street, thereby creating an awesome tunnel effect.
The cathedral in the background.
The band 'Cold Sweat' performing at one of several street stages on New Years Eve.
Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas. This year, on January 5th, a gajillion people came out for the arrival of the Three Kings. This is done all over Mallorca (and Spain in general), but in Palma they arrive by boat, then board their floats and follow the parade route. At the end, they greet and wave to the throngs from a balcony of an old heritage building in old town.
Also during this time of festivities is what's known as the competion of 'Castells', roughly translated to 'human towers'. Groups compete to see who can make the highest tower.
Just an obelisk at one of the more popular plazas in old town.
TV camera crew filming the final event...the San Sebastian (Palma's patron saint) mile-long parade, correfoc (fireworks), flaming dragons, weird creatures spewing sparks, and...ummm....whatnot. Ohkaaaaaay.
Even though thousands of people show up for this event, I noticed there was not one food/drink street vendor. A lot less to clean up afterwards!!!
Part of the annual tradition is for people to 'dance' among the sparks being hurled by the creatures. They come prepared wearing coats and hoods so as not to get fried (too badly). Totally sanctioned by the city.
Afterwards, everything back to calm and normal. Nice night for a stroll.
Dano
looks very bright, thanks for sharing. Happy Valentine's day... will be in Ireland soon.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like fun! See you soon!
ReplyDeleteAnother great post !
ReplyDeleteI do love the trees like that, the human tower is my favorite. Thanks for sharing.
Happy Valentine's Day to you, and Gracie
I love the trees too, and the stars. The human towers are amazing AND give me vertigo. Do you suppose the crowd below is full of willing spotters? Chris
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