Mallorca is known for being rich in tradition, and Christmas is no exception. All over the island, streets, squares, alleys and shops are decked out with lights and decorations.
Christmas markets in Mallorca are an important and recurring event where locals gather with friends and family. All over the island there are Christmas markets with local products, crafts, edible Christmas treats and music and dancing. The island’s most famous Christmas market is in the Plaza Mayor in Palma, where stalls abound with nativity figurines, Christmas decorations, candles, jewelry, leather goods and ceramics. There is also a large display of different nativity scenes.
In Puerto Portals, just south of Palma, there is also a large Christmas market every year, which is especially known for its many food stalls. Here you can taste various Mallorcan Christmas specialties such as Spanish potato salad and traditional gingerbread.
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One of the biggest Christmas traditions in Mallorca is the nativity scene (Bélen). In Palma you’ll find one of the oldest on the island in the impressive Caputxines Monastery. The nativity scene at the Palau March museum in Palma is also worth a visit. It dates back to the 18th century and has more than 2000 different small figures.
Palma’s famous cathedral is also decorated for Christmas and filled with religious nativity scene references, making it a natural focal point during Christmas.
The rooms are elegantly decorated in a modern design and there is also a restaurant, fitness center and shop.
Majorcan Christmas specialties
In Mallorca, Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25 and San Esteban (also known as St. Stephen) on December 26th. On both days, good Christmas food and treats are an important part of the celebration. Meals often start with soup with galets, which is a type of pasta with minced meat. The stew escaldums, which includes poultry, almonds and potatoes, is also a staple on the Christmas table. The dishes are accompanied by local wines made from grapes grown in the Tramuntana Mountains.
Christmas is a time to indulge your sweet tooth, and the windows of local bakeries and delicatessens are bursting with delicious treats. The local nougat coca de torró is particularly popular. This is made with locally produced almonds and served between two thin waffles. The cookie neules and the Mallorcan cake ensaimadas are also popular at Christmas.
Historical Christmas traditions and big Christmas parades
Mallorca has a number of special Christmas traditions that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. Along with Alghero in Italy, Mallorca is the only place where the traditional Christmas carol Cant de la Sibil-la – the song of the Sibyl – is still performed. Declared a Special Intangible Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Christmas carol is performed on the evening of December 24, with people flocking to the island’s churches to enjoy the song, which dates back to medieval times.
Another of Mallorca’s Christmas festivities is the Festa de l’Estendard – the banner festival – which dates back to the 13th century. It is celebrated every year on December 31 in Palma. It celebrates the incorporation of Mallorca into the European Christian kingdoms and is one of the oldest civic festivals in Europe.
The culmination of the Christmas celebrations begins on the night of January 5, when there are several parades through Mallorca’s towns celebrating the Epiphany Kings. People dress up as the Holy Three Kings and walk through the streets in parades that also feature large decorated floats, musicians and dancers. The On January 6, children traditionally receive Christmas presents. Although it has become fashionable for Spanish children to receive Christmas presents on December 24th, the January 6 – Epiphany – still the biggest Christmas gift day.