Menorca day: Saint Anthony

In Menorca, every 17^th of January marks the commemoration of the arrival of King Alfonso III and the Christian conquest of the island. In Maó there is a dedicatory statue. During the days leading up to and after the date, concerts, poetry recitals, institutional conferences, fairs of artisanal products, exhibitions and dances fill the different districts making it a festive day to go out onto the street and enjoy the whole spectacle.

One of the places where it is held with most seriousness is in Ciutadella. Among the events programmed there is the procession of the Tres Toques (the Three Knocks), a civic-religious procession that represents the entrance of the monarch when he reached the outskirts of Ciutadella in January 1287, and knocked three times so that they would open the gates of the walls of the Medina-Menurka. Today the Plaça de Ses Palmeres, symbolises the incorporation of Menorca into western culture.

The day begins with the traditional Eucharist in the Cathedral of Menorca in honour of Saint Anthony. After the mass, the municipal band of Ciutadella plays the Royal March so that the youngest councillor of the city can offer the flag to the oldest councillor. Then the procession starts, headed by three knights and followed by the band, the religious representatives of the island accompanied by the image of Saint Anthony and the representatives of civil society. The people of Ciutadella come out onto the street waiting to experience this grand procession close-up.

After parading through the old quarter of the city, they reach the Plaça de Ses Palmeres and here is where the youngest councillor picks up the flag of the old university of the island to give the Three Knocks on the tile marked with a T.

It is well worth checking the programme of activities in order not to miss anything and, of course, the town of Fornells also has its church consecrated to San Antoni Abad although it celebrates its annual festival in the heart of summer, also dedicated to the patron saint.