Trabajando en el calor.
This morning I went to the gallery in Es Mercadal to collect my pictures from the exhibition which ended yesterday. The temperature was 39 deg yet this guy was busy scraping moss off a rooftop in the direct sun, with no-one holding the ladder.
In the extra, a snippet of the town decorations which are everywhere leading up to the fiesta at the weekend. I've been to these before, but will not this time as the crowds and noise are just too much for my frail old head. More information is translated badly here:
A splendid opportunity to enjoy the history and traditions of this fascinating village
Horse parties, of great roots throughout the island of Menorca, are also celebrated in Es Mercadal. Locals and visitors usually turn to them, participating in events in which the Menorcan horse, admired for its bearing and lordship, is the main star.
The third weekend of July is celebrated the feasts of Sant Martí in the town of Es Mercadal, in the center of Menorca. The big protagonist is the horse. On Saturday, the mounts appear decorated, with colorful bands and with the braided creams. In the Menorcan horse festivals the traditional protocols are followed to the letter, in which the main levels of traditional society of centuries past are represented.
Thus, in Es Mercadal the musician in charge of playing the music of flabiol (the fabioler) opens the entourage mounted on a donkey. He is followed by the caixer batle (representative of civil society), the caixer chapell (representative of the Church) and then the delegates of the clown, the married and the singles. And close the line of riders the standard holder, known as superposat (the bachelor). Locals are in respectful silence as the initial flabiol music rings. Which contrasts with the enthusiasm that is put on during the mess. You can join the crowd, touching the horses and helping them perform their goats.
When the calendar marks Sant Martí the summer is in full swing, so the festivals of Es Mercadal are one of the most popular. You will have the ideal opportunity to discover this town, with a cozy old town and other attractions such as the church of Sant Martí, the flour mill, the cistern of Kane or the well-known Rock of S.Indi.
The closing of parties takes place on Sunday, when the riders' entourage (la Colcada) is stuck with a reception in the town hall. Younger horsemen go from house to house handing out aigua-pin bottles (distilled rose petals), very typical of the Menorcan bosses' parties.
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