Ciutadella festival: a feudal tradition that defies the Spanish state
The Sant Joan festivities in Ciutadella, Menorca, are a feudal stronghold: nobility funds the event, women are excluded from the parade, and the state loses authority to tradition.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ciutadella festival: feudal tradition against the state and the market
The Sant Joan festivities in Ciutadella are not folklore: they embody an economic order that predates capitalism. A noble family funds the event and the «caixer senyor» – a noble with a palace in town – leads the procession. Women hold auxiliary roles (cooking, decorating horses) and do not ride. The mayor cannot take part as such. The festival governs itself: the person in charge of safety is an expert in traditions, not the government delegate. This structure has clashed with the state on repeated occasions. The Menorcan nobility confronted Manuel Fraga to halt housing developments, and later Felipe González. The economic logic is premodern: power comes not from capital or the vote, but from lineage and ritual knowledge. Critics see sens and inbreeding; defenders, resistance to globalist acculturation. The tourism generated is considerable, but the model excludes half the population from the central positions. In the long run, egalitarian pressure and the tourism market will force changes, but as long as the nobility keeps its economic power and the ritual keeps drawing visitors, Sant Joan will continue to operate outside the reach of Spain's official gazette (BOE).
The Sant Joan festivities in Ciutadella are not folklore: they embody an economic order that predates capitalism. A noble family funds the event and the «caixer senyor» – a noble with a palace in town – leads the procession. Women hold auxiliary roles (cooking, decorating horses) and do not ride. The mayor cannot take part as such. The festival governs itself: the person in charge of safety is an expert in traditions, not the government delegate. This structure has clashed with the state on repeated occasions. The Menorcan nobility confronted Manuel Fraga to halt housing developments, and later Felipe González. The economic logic is premodern: power comes not from capital or the vote, but from lineage and ritual knowledge. Critics see sens and inbreeding; defenders, resistance to globalist acculturation. The tourism generated is considerable, but the model excludes half the population from the central positions. In the long run, egalitarian pressure and the tourism market will force changes, but as long as the nobility keeps its economic power and the ritual keeps drawing visitors, Sant Joan will continue to operate outside the reach of Spain's official gazette (BOE).
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (21 replies).
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