Dance of Els Cavallets in Mallorca’s processions

The most important figures are Els Cavallets, a couple of youths who dance to the tune of the flabiol and the tambourine. The dance is performed by two young men inside the body of a horse, and the Estendard (standard), symbolising the Saint, carries a flag that he waves around in rhythmic movements. These characters are accompanied by angels, priests, Romans, the band and the entire town.

Els Cavallets and the Estendard also take part in the procession and in Les Taules, a dance around a bonfire in the middle of the main square and in other parts of the town. In the past, Pollença’s Els Cavallets tended to be older and, when they finished the procession, they went dancing in all the houses of the town to raise money for the feast.

You can enjoy the festival of Els Cavallets in other places too; in Artà it dates back to the nineteenth century and, unlike Pollença, this dance involves five boys aged between six and seven and they dance with two red horses, two black and one white, known as Dama (Lady).

In the Eucharist, in honour of the holy martyr, the Estendard would worship Saint Sebastian and Els Cavallets would dance l’Oferta.

The possible origin of this dance in Mallorca is thirteenth-century representations of fighting with swords and shields by riders who used dummy horses. It is certainly a unique opportunity to experience the history and traditions of Mallorca first hand.