Betwixt and Between in Soller
By Shirley Roberts
Today is Monday 26th December 2016. In the UK it is Boxing Day with traditions of brisk walks, visits to the sales and another family gathering. The Boxing Day feast is usually centred around left overs and pickles and altogether a more relaxed affair than Christmas Day. Here in the Soller Valley many nationalities bring their own tradition to this day after Christmas Day. The weather is glorious so there will be many walks in mountains and on our lovely beaches.
In my own little world in Soller I have the Karaoke machine to master. My granddaughters picked this little number up on a recent visit to Hamleys in London. The ultimate machine which makes you sound good even if you are ‘flat’. There will be a lot of Elvis later and a sprinkling of Country not to mention a tribute to George. Plus of course a lot of cold turkey…
The holidaymakers here are glad that a little normality returns with bars, a few restaurants and a food shop or two open for business. The weather makes this a perfect time for striding out with those stout boots and walking poles. So the walkers and the Christmas cyclists are here filling in time until the next event. New Years Eve is twinkling in the distance and plans are made. Whatever restaurant or family gathering happens it is tradition to be in your own square with everyone else as the bells chime in 2017. 12 grapes to be eaten as the clock rings out the countdown and a glass of cava in hand. Soller square celebrates with music, sometimes live and sometimes with a DJ – it all depends how much cash they have for the event. It is considered the only place to be for a Solleric at midnight. Thereafter people depart for parties all over the island and often centre themselves in Palma to be with their wider Mallorquin community. This is a small island and it is always surprising just how many people you actually know. A trip to Palma for a fiesta gathering underlines this phenomenon.
The New Year Celebrations are in the middle of the Fiestas of this time of year. There is still the ‘Three Kings’ and ‘San Sebastian’ beckoning in the distance of January. This is the story for another day…
Enjoy this beautiful season in the Soller Valley and watch the subtleties emerge. We have now passed the shortest day of the year and there is evidence of spring. Right now the meadows, so recently washed by torrential rain are springing acres of the yellow flowers of early spring.
Happy Betwixt and Between to all from us here at Sollerweb.
