Is San Antonio only for the Crespí and Socias families, or also for the Hamdaoui or Saidi families?

PalmCrespí, Soler, García, Socias, Martínez, and Gelabert are the surnames of the six young men who will play the role of devils for the Sant Antoni festivities in Sa Pobla in 2027. Their public selection is one of the events that kick off this year's celebrations and is the result of a raffle that attracted around eighty candidates. Most of the lucky winners have lineages linked to the municipality of Sa Pobla since ancient times; others, a smaller number, are of Castilian origin. But do the surnames of these six young men reflect the reality of Sa Pobla's social composition, which, as throughout the Balearic Islands, is increasingly diverse in terms of origins? Considering that the first Moroccans arrived in the first half of the 1980s, has no devil yet been chosen who is of Hamdaoui or Saidi lineage?

"If none had come out in recent years, I think it would have caused a stir, and yet it hasn't been discussed. These past few days we could have tested it: gone to the Town Hall, where the lists with the names and surnames of all the candidates have been posted for everyone to see." I don't rule it out, but in any case, it would be an exception." The one answering the question is Miquel Àngel Pons, director of CEIP Vialfàs, a school where a significant portion of the students have been of foreign origin for years. They have decades of experience welcoming children from North Africa, and more recently, the number of students from Latin American families has increased.

"At school these days, we're immersed in the Sant Antoni festivities. Every day there's a traditional olive oil making activity in all the grades. One of the most exciting times is when the little devils come to visit us. Every child tries to play with them." Everyone laughs and celebrates. "As teachers, we work to make sure this is the case: so that no child, regardless of their background, is left behind and can all participate in the celebration," says Pons.

Beyond the School

The principal of CEIP Vialfàs, like the teaching community in general, believes that the personal development of young people is not solely the responsibility of the school. "I think that what makes a young person actively participate in the Sant Antoni festivities, and not just as a spectator, whatever their background, depends on three factors: school, family, and interpersonal or friendship relationships. All children have knowledge of the festival because we teachers teach it to them. A Rodríguez always has a godfather, his mother, or a family friend who says, 'Hey, come on, shouldn't we go see the giant figures dance?!' or 'Don't you want to come with us to gather firewood for the bonfire?'

Local historian and scholar of contemporary migration, Pere Perelló, agrees. "In most cases, the participation of children of Moroccan origin in the Sant Antoni festival ends, or fades away, when they move from primary to secondary school," comments this retired local police officer and author ofMaghrebi people in the Balearic Islands: Between custom, culture, and religion (Leonardo Muntaner, 2024). "There have been Moroccans or people of Moroccan origin in Sa Pobla for over thirty years. And this presence hasn't translated into active participation in the festivities. What exists is a respect for the celebration and also a certain presence. The residents of Sa Pobla of Maghrebi origin are spectators at the giant-headed figures' dance, but at the pyrotechnic display, the bonfire," Perelló comments regarding the unique nature of the Sa Pobla festival, where each bonfire is lit by a group of friends, neighbors, or extended family and relatives.

It's common that, after leaving Completes, these groups go to have dinner at the front door, where the bonfire is already lit. Therefore, to participate in this unwritten custom, to witness the spontaneous glosado (a type of improvised song), to eat a piece of pork spine or a toasted pepper cake with slices of pork loin or a thin cake of sobrasada and sugar (all traditional Santantonian delicacies), you must be invited.

According to Perelló, this absence of Moroccans at the bonfires is not explained solely by the type of food offered, where pork predominates, such as sausage, blood sausage, and pork chops. Furthermore, all the aforementioned pastries contain lard. And it is well known that pork products are forbidden by Islam. The scholar of migrant communities believes that the role of Maghrebi people in the festival can be compared to the attendance of people from other towns. "Someone from outside the town, with no ties to Sa Pobla, will come to the festival, take a stroll through the town center, see the pyrotechnic and musical show from behind the barrier, and understand very little unless they are welcomed by a local," explains Perelló.

"Element of belonging and identity"

However, Pere Perelló, who worked for years in police diversity management, acknowledges that popular festivals throughout the Part Forana of Mallorca have experienced a great revival in the last two decades. "This explosion of Sant Antoni celebrations, as well as the emergence of new festivals like Much, responds to a search for role models by a people without a state, who see in Sant Antoni an element of belonging and identity, all accompanied by a festive and entertaining atmosphere," comments Pere Perelló. For this active participation to ignite among the new residents, according to the historian, "the feeling of belonging needs to be contagious." "Otherwise, popular festivals are simply a form of fun or entertainment," he says.

The bonfire of those who have nothing

It was in 2018 that Col·lectiu Sa Negreta was born, driven by a group of young people with the aim of promoting a more participatory festival. The association takes its name from one of the most popular giant figures in Sa Pobla and presents itself as "the bonfire for those without a bonfire." Following the introduction of the pyromusical show in the late 1990s, the bonfires in the main square disappeared. Since they weren't just for groups of friends, anyone was invited to join in. "This is the spirit we wanted to recover with the Sa Negreta bonfire, where everyone is welcome," explains Violeta Seoane, regarding the collective initiative that this year marks its eighth year of lighting a bonfire in Alexandre Ballester Square, right next to the church.

"Although we put up posters in schools and spread the word among the young people of Pobla," acknowledges Seoane, "those of us who participate more actively with the group share similar characteristics: we're young people in our twenties or early thirties."

"In recent years, we've noticed how a large number of EU citizens, who we assume own second homes all over Mallorca, come to the Sa Negreta bonfire to toast. They see that our bonfire is a community initiative and stay to watch the festivities. Many people of Latin American origin also come to ask for drinks, in addition to people who know about the festival and come from all over Mallorca," explains the president of the Pobla participatory group.

Seoane also makes an observation: "Sa Negreta attracts a lot of people. Most are people who buy tickets to come and get a tan. The volunteers who roll up their sleeves to work—gathering firewood for the bonfire, setting up the bar, and getting everything ready—are fewer in number. And this level of involvement has to do with each person's character, not their origins."