Menorca; "Ara va de bó, Ciutadella!"

First of all, I apologize for being silent for so long, but with the start of summer many plans always came up and I wanted to take a break from the virtual world. However, I have something new. Last month it was Sant Joan (St John's) festivity in Spain. Usually, in those places where the beach is nearby, you would pack candles, gin, lemonade, blanckets and all your friends and spend the night by the sea, BUT this is not the tradition in Ciutadella, Menorca. In Menorca, St Joan festivities are the maximum highlight of the summer and people from everywhere around Spain travel to experience them. It can be easily compared to the parties for San Fermín in Pamplona.
Starting the 23rd of June, the streets of Ciutadella become crowded with thousands and thousands of tourists (if I'm not wrong, this year 5000 more people joined the Menorcans than last year) and horses with their riders dancing around. The beauty of it all is the cheerfulness that is felt in the air and the coordination of the riders with the tourists. However, even though travelling to Menorca in these dates is definitely a perfect plan, one has to be careful. Remember that the horses are real animals, and the riders just men. Past the first and the second days, the animals are tired and the people more drunk. Getting too close to a horse might end up in a disaster, and this shows in the 3 people almost deathly hurt due to their carelessness. I even got hit by one horse! But thankfully it was only the impression and nothing bad happened neither to me nor my friends. I hope you like the pictures, and will be back with news from Berlin!

 
Batucada; the night previous to the official start of the festivities, this group of drummers played bizarre rythms around the antique streets while a small crowd followed them in a frenzy of dances and laughter.



This was the official trigger of the festivities of St Joan. A group of riders went to pick up the oldest and main rider, called the Xiuler.





One of the horses jumping in the crowd at the main square of town.






This was the "Avellanada". This event consists in buying bags of hazelnuts and then throwing them to the people around you. As the moment builds up, the men take all the women they see and throw them up in the air. I myself was aired about 3 times, and I was lucky because, when many girls ended up completely naked, I managed to keed all my clothes on.


The last night of the festivities. Some riders waiting for their turns in playing the different games to entertain the public.



This last picture is a nightview of the port once the games where over. In this part of the town is where all the clubs are located, so everynight we all went partying in the different clubs and bars.

If you are planning a different trip with your friends, I would recommend you visit Menorca for Sant Joan next year. Definitely something worth living.