So, the long festive break is finally coming to an end. In some cases the break has lasted for more than three weeks, especially for local civil servants. But of course we have three events to celebrate: Christmas, New Year and the Three Kings. It is a long festive season in Majorca. It had been forecast some years ago that the Three Kings would disappear in favour of Father Christmas, but the Kings still remain very popular. You just had to see the thousasnds of people who lined the route for their arrival in Palma on Friday to see how popular they are, and the poor old Kings have a lot against them. They arrive just as children are going back to school and they even make their entrance into the city, towns and villages in the evening. I would say that these days most households celebrate both: Christmas and the Kings. Shops are obviously cashing in; as soon as Father Christmas has come and gone in come the Kings.
The Three Kings parade is particularly special. I remember seeing it for the first time as a child, it was magical. The mixture of the Christmas lights and the parade makes it a fantastic spectacle. But looking ahead the party is not over just yet. In just a few weeks Palma will be marking San Sebastian, the city’s patron saint. There will be live music in many city centre squares on 20 January and a whole list of other events and then there will be Carnival in February. Critics of this island, all of whom live elsewhere, say that there is little or nothing to do on the island during the winter months. Obviously they are totally incorrect and should come to the island in the low season.