The Medieval Festival marks the declaration of Dalt Vila as a World Heritage Site. During the second weekend in May the walled city transforms into a medieval market with noblemen, knights in shining armour, dragons and pipe-players. The maze of cobbled streets play host to all kinds of actors, comedians, and artists who depict characters from the middle ages. Costumed men fight for the crowd's attention with street shows, fire blowing, dance and comedy and onlookers can sample home-made food products and learn about typical instruments and customs.
Jus primae noctis and the magic of dalt vila
Ibiza Medieval Festival
Many inhabitants of the Pitiusas get a surprise when they cross the moat separating the Old Town from the Marina, particularly early in May when a rather unusual event takes place. At this time the confines of the Dalt Vila bustle with a lively throng of people set on enjoying a spectacular and sumptuous festival that transports them as in a time-machine back into dark medieval times. Everyone feels involved in a celebration that is enlivened throughout by more than 200 actors engaged in a whole range of performances. The stall vendors too put on period costume and, it has to be said, these austere styles look far better than some of the weird garb worn nowadays.
Ibiza Medieval Festival
And then there are the smells. The thousand-year-old stones are drenched with aromas from an array of different foods, ranging from tasty venison chorizo sausage to samosas, roast beef and marinated pork, from paprika meat paste and cocas to doughnuts, vegetarian specialities (though in the famine-ridden Middle Ages finding a veggieburger would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack) and cheese which ‘Your Lordship’ is invited to taste with a sip of country wine… Your olfactory senses are strained to their limit, your taste buds set your mouth a-watering… There are even cocktails made of ginger, honey and lemon (the vendor assures you that this mixture is far more effective than today’s viagra) stiffened with a shot of brandy.
Ibiza Medieval Festival
And what can we say about these ‘medieval’ women who seem to have shaken off any modern feminist inhibitions, displaying breathtaking cleavages – much to the delight of epicureans who indulge in strange contortions of the neck to get the best viewing angle. Of course, using all their feminine wiles they are quick to seize the initiative. Antonia is a pretty al-lota who grabs you by the arm and draws you into a fabulous Bedouin tent like something from ‘A Thousand and One Nights’, where the odalisques meet up and tell each other stories just like Scheherazade did, all the while offering you mint tee and sweet delicacies made from pistachio and tempting you with the idea of smoking forbidden herbs through a hookah. Next, on the arm of a woman who manages to be both Mephistopheles and Gretchen at the same time, you stroll along to San Ciriaco Chapel and finally reach the Plaza de la Catedral. Here a charming diminutive girl called Lorenza guides you through the bastions and tells you firmly that your visit will not be complete without seeing how hard the artisans used to work. For example, you will find a smith who works metal in exactly the same way as 600 years ago, carpenters like those who decorated Christopher Columbus’s caravelles with likenesses of the most famous whores in Cádiz, plus master craftsmen skilled in leather, cane and esparto weaving.
Ibiza Medieval Festival
After experiencing a fantastic sunset from the Sant Jaume Bastion you suddenly get the crazy idea that it would be great to reintroduce jus primae noctis and designate a Señor de la Plaza, providing that happens to be you so that all the concubines start off in your bed before moving on to that of their groom…
But then these medieval al-lotas would remind you incandescently that this accursed privilege never existed on the Pitiusas, those blessed isles where men and women get together freely (just think how democratic the festeig is) and never under compulsion.
But then these medieval al-lotas would remind you incandescently that this accursed privilege never existed on the Pitiusas, those blessed isles where men and women get together freely (just think how democratic the festeig is) and never under compulsion.
Ibiza: Fiesta Medieval 2008 from Super Acht on Vimeo.