THE CAVALLETS

THE CAVALLETS DE FELANITX

The Cavallets of Felanitx are an ancient cultural heritage, initiated by the Augustinian friars in the 17th century, and today they are the most important and representative element of the folkloric culture of Felanitx.

Since 1881, the town council has been responsible for the preservation of this tradition and appointed a teacher to instruct the Cavallets, although even after the Confiscation in the second third of the 19th century they were still associated with the monastery.

The group comprises seven children, six Cavallets (boys) and one Dama (girl), who perform nine dances accompanied by the Xeremiers, a bagpipe ensemble consisting of a xeremia (bagpipe), a flabiol (three-hole pipe) and a tambor (drum). The Cavallets wear white trousers with bells, a red jacket and a green cap, and each of the children carries a cardboard horse around their body. The Dama wears a white lace skirt, a green waistcoat and a red cap, and she carries a bunch of basil and a white handkerchief in her hands, which she moves to the beat of the music.

They dance on the eve and the feast day of St. Margaret, 19th and 20th July, and St. Augustus, 27th and 28th August, parade through the streets, accompany the town council during religious festivities and dance in the church service on the day of the feast.

In 2016 the Island Council (Consell de Mallorca) awarded them as a Festival of Cultural Interest.