ON Sunday 26, the normal Correfoc celebration rounded off Mallorca’s 2025 Saint Sebastian festivities.
The competition, which is held within the Balearic Islands however centered in Palma, is an annual celebration held in mid-January to honour the town’s patron saint, Saint Sebastian.
This 12 months, the festivities kicked off on Saturday 11, and ended on Sunday with the long-lasting ‘Correfoc’ customized.
Over the 2 weeks, the competition featured a mixture of dwell concert events throughout completely different squares in Palma, group gatherings round bonfires within the streets, and cultural occasions (conventional dances, exhibitions) showcasing Mallorcan tradition.
The fortnight’s spotlight, nevertheless, was the pyrotechnic show on Sunday.
Referred to as a corrrefoc (translated as “hearth run”), this occasion is an exhilarating and symbolic spectacle rooted in Catalan and Mallorcan traditions.
Beginning in Plaza de la Reina, performers gown as dimonis (demons) who parade by means of the streets together with legendary creatures, akin to dragons.
Whereas strolling by means of the streets and squares of Palma the occasion transforms right into a fiery playground, with individuals working or dancing underneath showers of sparks whereas accompanied to the background sound of drums.
Unsurprisingly, using pyrotechnics known as for the 112 emergency companies to concern recommendation to make sure public security.
Among the many suggestions have been: refraining from burning plastic objects, sporting long-sleeved clothes manufactured from cotton, and advising youngsters to look at from a protected distance.
Over 300 folks, cut up into eleven teams, dressed as demons.
They reportedly used 161 kilograms of black powder once they carried out the opening of Hell’s gates.
The Correfoc represents the battle between good and evil, drawing inspiration from medieval traditions and native folklore.
The hearth, music, and basic chaos symbolizes malevolent forces, whereas the act of dancing and working across the show represents the hassle to beat challenges.
Whereas Sunday’s celebration appears to have run easily, this 12 months’s version of Saint Sebastian Competition has confronted criticism for an absence of preparation.
Not like earlier years, there was no huge live performance and the programme was solely introduced to the general public only a day earlier than festivities started.
The Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, has claimed that the standard of this 12 months’s competition surpasses that of earlier administrations, and he has pointed to the variety of the occasion when combating complaints.
