It is 70 years since the blessing of vehicles by Sant Cristòfol began in Mallorca.
Felanitx was the first Mallorcan town to carry out these blessings, which spread to other towns such as Sant Joana over the years. They began in 1952 under the organisation of the Crusade of Divine Love and have taken place every year for the last 70 years.
Around 300 cars, trucks and motorbikes usually take part every year and despite the Covid restrictions, Felanitx has kept blessing vehicles for the festival of Sant Cristòfol, the patron saint of drivers.
On Saturday afternoon a Mass was celebrated in the church of Sant Alfons in memory of all those killed in traffic accidents and later numerous cars, trucks and motorbikes congregated in Plaça Peralada.
There were vehicles fewer this year, but Chaplain Antoni Bonet blessed each and every one as it passed by. The pennants that are blessed at Mass and placed inside the cars to protect them from accidents were not available because of the pandemic.
In the last 70 years, the type of vehicles taking part has changed a lot. In the beginning, it was mostly carriages and just a few cars that paraded down the narrow Carrer l’Hospici in front of the church and Sant Alfons School, to be blessed, now it's mostly cars, trucks and motorbikes.