Making wafers is no longer "nuns' work": this is how the Mallorcan tradition has been revived

PalmScissors, paper, and a lot of patience. What for decades was an almost secret practice, reserved for convents and a few expert hands, is now experiencing a true resurgence in Mallorca. The openwork wafers, a symbol of Christmas in the Islands, have left the churches and returned to the villages, with workshops full of people, new generations, and an official declaration as an Intangible Cultural Heritage Asset.

At the Inca Sociocultural Center, no one takes their eyes off the table. Everyone is focused on cutting the openwork wafers as perfectly as possible—the white paper decorations that at Christmas colonize the interiors of churches, institutions, shop windows, and also many homes in Mallorca, more and more each year.

"I really enjoy wafers. They're my addiction," admits Antònia, a woman from Sencelles, as she plunges the tip of her scissors into a wafer that's almost finished. To his right is Joan, wearing glasses with a light to see clearly what he's cutting, and Tolo, also making wafer rolls, something unthinkable years ago. Almost exclusively women, usually nuns, made wafer rolls, and they didn't do it in public spaces with other people, but rather in convents or at home. In fact, Margalida Gili, a woman from Inca, jokes that making wafer rolls "is a nun's job," because of the patience and perfectionism it requires.

The Church became a protector of wafer rolls, since only there could one find patterns with religious motifs, but also others that weren't. However, the nuns "didn't share them," recalls Bàrbara Llinàs, spokesperson for the Association of Wafer Makers of Mallorca and also a teacher at the wafer roll workshops in Inca. He's been making wafers for thirty years, and when he started cutting them, he remembers that finding them "was an adventure." "If you saw them hanging and got too close, they'd close the church doors on you," he says. Not only did the wafer patterns belong to the Church, but so did the skill of making them, which wasn't taught to anyone outside the institution.

Where does the tradition come from?

Philologist Gabriel Bibiloni explains that paper wafers have been documented since approximately the 14th century. "In churches, strings of wafers were hung from the main light." Before they were made of paper, wafers were made of flour and water. The Church had a tradition of hanging them, and at the end of the Sibyl's chant, she would cut the threads with her sword, and the wafer pieces would fall on the congregation, who would eat them. But the Church reconsidered the idea of hanging edible wafers when they saw that, in times of famine, the people would fight over a piece. Bibiloni illustrates this tradition with a popular saying: "Sibyl, hold the cake, don't let it fall from your hands, because there are two altar boys below with mouths wide open."

This ancient tradition was revived five years ago in Sencelles, where the fifth edition of the Festa dels Barquillos (Festival of the Wafers) is being celebrated this year on December 28th. Llinàs explains that the wafers arrived in Mallorca with the conquest by King James I and originated in Catalonia. "They were hung year-round in churches and the homes of noble people." This custom was lost in Catalonia, while in the Balearic Islands it remained "intact because it was preserved in convents."

In Menorca, "there is no documentary evidence of wafers until the 20th century, but it was a tradition that did exist and then disappeared," says Miquel Àngel Maria. However, he points out that it has recently been revived and that this decorative element can be seen in the Ciutadella Cathedral, the Church of Santa María in Maó, and the Parish Church of San Bartolomé in Ferreries, among other places. Isabel Bibiloni, originally from Mallorca but living in Menorca for years, proposed reviving the tradition at the island's cathedral, and it is now done annually. In the case of Ibiza, sources at the Institute of Ibizan Studies say they had never heard of this Mallorcan custom and are unaware if anyone practices it, although they consider it "not common" on the island.

The push

In 2022, Tomàs Martínez encouraged the neulers (wafer makers) to showcase their passion for this tradition with the publication of the book "Cada cosa a su tiempo y en Navidad, barquillos" (Everything in its Time and at Christmas, Wafers), a research work on the tradition in Mallorca. At the book's launch, Llinàs realized that there were actually many more people involved and, together with Martínez, created a group of eight people to promote and protect this tradition. Currently, the group has become the Association of Wafer Makers of Mallorca, made up of approximately 120 people. "Thus, we wafer makers went from always being locked away in our homes to wafer makers together," says Llinàs. In this way, "the hands that cut the wafers are put to the test."

Over time, and due to the nature of the wafers, which don't include the maker's name, the origins of many of the patterns currently being reproduced are unknown. "And this can't disappear. It's like the artists who paint pictures and create other works of art," she explains. In this sense, she confesses that she understands the zeal with which the nuns protected the wafers: "They protected the purity of the wafer. Nowadays, technology is used a lot, and it's very easy for it to be distorted." In 2022, Martínez submitted the documentation to officially safeguard this heritage. Thus, the work of protecting the wafers also becomes the responsibility of the institutions. The Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) committed to Martínez's initial objective and, in its plenary session this December, unanimously declared the handmade production of openwork wafers as Intangible Cultural Heritage Asset (BIC) of MallorcaThe spokesperson for the wafer makers celebrates the declaration and believes it protects and promotes the tradition. However, she admits that the average age of the wafer makers is high and that efforts are needed to reach younger people. For this reason, workshops subsidized by the Manacor City Council are being held in the municipality's schools.

Wafer workshops

Almost everyone in the wafer workshop in Inca remembers seeing them as children in churches at Christmas, Easter, and other holidays, but they insist that they weren't made at home. "Nobody wanted to teach you how to make wafers, that's why 90% of the wafer makers in Mallorca today are self-taught," explains Bàrbara Llinàs. Despite the nuns' work in preserving this tradition, she points out that wafers "are not a religious tradition." She insists that "the churches preserved them and the nuns cut them, but the tradition belongs to the people," and exemplifies this by saying that Mallorcan folk festivals are "full of religious elements," as is the case with Sant Antoni. "Wafers are the same: it's a tradition that should be accessible to everyone," she adds. In fact, in her recently published book, Neules per cortar (Wafers to Cut), Bàrbara Llinàs offers wafer designs with non-religious motifs.

Some of the workshop participants remember seeing opaque wafer rolls hanging in churches because there were a few years when "nobody was making them," Llinàs recalls. The tradition stalled, but now it's increasingly being revived, and the wafer makers believe its continuation is in their hands. Currently, the "nuns' work" has become a "brutal craze," because "everyone wants to make them and everyone can," she celebrates, considering that the wafer rolls "are meant to be enjoyed and shared."

Maria, a woman from Manacor who attends the Inca workshop, confesses that she's become "hooked" on making wafer rolls, while Llinàs recommends she buy thicker paper so that "the flavor is more pronounced when cutting." She celebrates that this discipline allows each person to "do what they can according to their abilities and tastes." She says this while showing wafer rolls she has designed because she really enjoys drawing. Meanwhile, Antonia, sitting at the other head of the table, affirms that she won't go to bed if she has a wafer roll half-finished. Unlike Maria, who uses a scalpel to cut, she uses small scissors. The right tool for cutting is essential. "If you don't have good scissors, you don't feel like cutting," she asserts. She shows her own small pair and says she has eight or nine more. "But I use these because they're the best for me. I keep them in a case and I'm very protective of them. I'm very careful not to drop them, especially not on their tips, because they get pushed around," she explains.

Just like with utensils, everyone has their own way of cutting out wafer rolls. Some use two sheets and cut them double, just like the nuns. This way, the wafer roll comes out clean, without any pattern pieces. The thickness of the paper is also important so they're not too loose or too thick. In any case, what prevails is the satisfaction of seeing the finished wafer roll. "It's nice to know you made it yourself. Sometimes I look at them and say, 'Did I make this?'" admits Margalida.

Download your wafer roll

Bàrbara Llinàs, spokesperson for the Association of Neulers and Neuleres of Mallorca, has provided ARA Baleares with wafer designs she created. Simply download and print the image to create three wafer templates to cut out and hang at home this Christmas.