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Traditional festival in Mallorca

Holy Week: the Sang de Palma and the Davallament of Pollença

At a glance

The two strongest images of Majorcan Holy Week: the procession of Sant Crist de la Sang in Palma (Holy Thursday) and the Davallament de Pollença (Good…

Festivals
Traditional festival in Mallorca
Words
capirot, carapunat, confraria, davallar / Davallament, prohoms de la Sang
Events
4
Holy Week — 384 Holy Week Procession, pl. Santa Eulàlia ( Palma ), la Llançada
Holy Week — 384 Holy Week Procession, pl. Santa Eulàlia ( Palma ), la Llançada — Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

What is

The two strongest images of Majorcan Holy Week: the procession of Sant Crist de la Sang in Palma (Holy Thursday) and the Davallament de Pollença (Good Friday), the descent of Christ down the stairs of Calvari.

On i quan

  • Palma, Holy Thursday, 7 p.m., from the church of l'Anunciació (la Sang). It can end at dawn (4 hours in 2023).
  • Pollença, Good Friday night, Calvari.
  • Other davallaments: Artà, Sineu, Felanitx, Son Servera.

Personatges and objects

  • Penitential confraries (33 in Palma) with capirot and vesta capirot i vesta .
  • Prohomonia de la Sang: go down and carry the image; without hood or tunic.
  • Steps (images); noisemakers that replace bells noisemakers .
  • Carapunats: hooded penitents throughout the island.
  • Ciris (candles) and torches.

How is

  • Palma: the Sang closes the order of processions towards the Seu.
  • Pollença: the image of Christ is unnailed from the cross and the procession is carried down the 365 steps of Calvari to the church, by torchlight.

Vocabulary

  • davallar / Davallament: go down; the descent.
  • capirot: conical hood.
  • carapunat: hooded penitent.
  • confraria: brotherhood.
  • prohoms de la Sang: brothers who carry the Christ.

History

  • 1456: General Hospital; the image is linked to it from the beginning.
  • 1554: first documentation of the Sang procession.
  • 1564: the Sang brotherhood organizes it to collect alms for the Hospital.
  • 19th century: guilds disappear in processions. 20th century: the current brotherhoods are born.
  • 1650: date attributed to the Davallament of Pollença (disclosure source; to be verified).

Protection

  • No BICIM declaration located (to verify).

Why is it design

  • Designed anonymity: the hood hides the penitent; Penance is not exhibition.
  • Architecture as a setting: the 365 steps are the route of the ritual.

For the project

  • Vestas and capirots workshop: who sews them in Palma.
  • Read the UIB work on the origins of Holy Week in Palma.

Frequently asked questions

What is Holy Week: the Sang de Palma and the Davallament of Pollença?

The two strongest images of Majorcan Holy Week: the procession of Sant Crist de la Sang in Palma (Holy Thursday) and the Davallament de Pollença (Good…

What are the traditional words for Holy Week: the Sang de Palma and the Davallament of Pollença?

Some words: capirot, carapunat, confraria, davallar / Davallament, prohoms de la Sang.

Sources

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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