The island of Mallorca and its capital Palma , like many places in Spain, prepare for a traditional Christmas and New Year that centres around four main events. Christmas Eve is important with concerts and Midnight Masses held in many churches, including the famous Seu Cathedral in Palma itself. Christmas Day is a time for relaxation and spending time with family. New Years Eve sees another excuse for celebration, with parties and fireworks displays illuminating the island's skies and then finally the celebration of the Epiphany on January 6th sees children receiving gifts in much the same way as UK children do on Christmas Day.

Once all those events are over Mallorca returns to its regular calendar of events that includes concerts, theatre performances, fairs and fiestas. Most of the large towns across the island have a fairly full schedule to look forward to in 2010, with places like Soller, Manacor, Pollensa and Alcudia all promoting a varied mix of activities.

One of the first fiestas in 2010 will be the Sant Antoni fiestas that take place in mid January in many of Mallorca's towns. Sant Antoni is the patron Saint of farms and farm animals and towns such as Muro, Pollensa and Arta are well known for their popular Sant Antoni celebrations on or around January 16th and 17th.

But perhaps the biggest Sant Antoni fiesta is held in Sa Pobla, a farming town in the north of Mallorca, 5 miles inland from Alcudia and just off the main north-south road across the island. Here the tradition dates back to the thirteenth century and bonfires are lit to symbolise the sun, the triumph of light over darkness and the return of longer days and more sunshine. The locals will dress up in costumes, play drums and sing traditional songs, all fueled by plenty of the local wine.

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