Social life
Family and habitat. As in Spain in general, the family is a very important concept in the archipelago. Children are king, but their elders, who are often highly respected, instill certain values in them. On the whole, the family structure is still traditional, and it's not uncommon to see several generations living together under the same roof. Young people, even when they're working, sometimes stay with their parents until they get married (and marry later). There are many family businesses where everyone has their place, whether in service companies or restaurants. Know-how is passed down from generation to generation, as are first names: the eldest child is usually given his or her father's or mother's first name, or that of the grandparents. And if it's not taken directly from the family tree, as on the Spanish mainland, religion still has a major influence on the choice of first names. There are many Maria, Jesús and Jose, although English-sounding first names are on the increase, no doubt due in no small part to tourism.
The typical Balearic dwelling is called a finca. Fincas are generally built with very thick walls to keep out the heat in summer and protect against the cold in winter. The finca is traditionally organized around the main room, housing a fireplace that once also served as an oven and was placed right next to the sink. The roof remains flat, allowing new rooms to be built in case of births. Mostly located in the countryside, more and more owners have recently been transforming their traditional dwellings into charming agrotourism hotels.
The place of women in Balearic society. Alongside the great political and cultural revolution of the post-dictatorship era, the situation of women has changed considerably. Before the fall of Francoism, women were assigned to the three C's: the kitchen, the chiquillos (kids) and the priest. Today, most of them live relatively late with their parents, are much better educated than their mothers, and therefore marry later (the average age of first marriage has risen from 24 to 30 in one generation). With childcare facilities and family support policies still virtually non-existent, women are much less likely to be found in the highest professional positions. Despite this, their employment rate is rising by an average of one point a year, even if the wage gap between men and women remains very wide.
However, Zapatero's Spanish government was an example of parity, with a total of 7 women among the 15 ministers, including Carme Chacón, who held the post of Minister of Defense from 2008 to 2011, and was appointed minister when she was seven months pregnant! This parity is no longer present in the government set up by Mariano Rajoy in November 2011: 4 women ministers out of 13 members, although it is worth noting that a woman, Soraya Sáenz de Santa María, holds the post of Vice-President. In the May 2015 municipal elections, two women, Ada Colau and Manuela Carmena, were elected mayors of Barcelona and Madrid respectively. In the same year, Francina Armengol became the first woman to be elected President of the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands.
The average fertility rate is 1.37 children per woman and the average age for the first child is 31. In 2014, a bill threatening the right to abortion (except in two very specific cases...) triggered strong opposition nationally, internationally and even within the PP. It was finally withdrawn that same year. In 2015, however, Mariano Rajoy pushed through a law banning abortion for minors without parental consent. It was passed by the Senate in 2015. On the LGTBQ side, the gay community is very present in Ibiza, a paradise for partying and extravagance. On the other hand, in the far-off lands of Mallorca and Menorca, mentalities are often more closed. Ibiza remains the real Eldorado for the gay community from all over Europe. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Spain since 2005.
Traditions and celebrations
The inhabitants of the Balearic Islands, no doubt thanks to their geographical isolation, have managed to preserve their traditions. The liturgical calendar has long been the unifying element in the social life of the archipelago's inhabitants. Often, festivities celebrate a particular saint. It was during these events that the majority of villagers gathered in their parishes. For the occasion, young people dress up in their finest finery, and the festivities continue in the streets or in the family sphere of private homes, with games, dances and folk songs. It's also a time to get together with friends, neighbors and, of course, family. The festivities of the liturgical calendar have endured to the present day, and despite the arrival of tourism in the second half of the 20th century, the people of the Balearic Islands remain very attached to their age-old traditions. These ancestral rites are revived at popular festivals.
Specific to each island. The Festeig, celebrated on Ibiza, is a very elaborate way of wooing a lady that's quite obsolete today. Some of their dances, still performed today, are among the oldest in Spain. Ibizans also preserve their instruments: the flute, drum and castagnoles - castanets about 15 cm long - are played by the men. The men's costume - white shirt and pants, sometimes black jacket, large red beret falling to the side (like a rooster's crest) - is less varied than that of the women. The women have kept up the tradition, while innovating with the color of their scarves. Festive garments - especially white ones - are magnificent, adorned at the front with a superb ornament attached to the shoulders(s'emprendada). Both men and women wear the same espardenyes, the local version of espadrilles. Folklore lovers can enjoy these dances in Sant Josep, Sant Miquel, Santa Eulària, Sant Agustí and in most villages during their patron saint's day. One of Mallorca's oldest traditions is the singing of the Sybil, which has been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Sung in all the island's churches during midnight mass on December 24, it has preserved its essence over the centuries and has been passed down from generation to generation. During popular festivals in Menorca, such as Sant Joan (June 24), the purebred Menorcan horse is the protagonist. Riders parade and jump their horses to the rhythm of the music, much to the delight of spectators. The equestrian world plays a very important role in the daily lives of the island's inhabitants. Formentera's festival par excellence is Sant Jaume, in honor of the island's patron saint. All the island's inhabitants go to Sant Francesc on July 25 for the celebration.
Traditional festivals in the Pityuses. The Ball Pagès is the traditional dance of the Pityuses, which differs in this respect from Mallorca and Menorca, where Spanish dances such as the fandango and bolero have developed. At the Ball Pagès, men and women are dressed in traditional costumes. Women wear long dresses, are adorned with jewels and have their hair covered with a veil. Men are usually dressed in black and white, with a wide red sash around their waists, and a red bonnet hanging over their heads. Both men and women wear the same espardenyes, the local version of espadrilles. The dances are set to the rhythm of traditional instruments: castanets, flute, drum and xeremia. Cantades and caramelles complete the musical folklore of the Pityuse Islands. Cantades, rhyming narrative songs based on the cantar redoblat technique, were also sung on feast days by neighbors and family, usually in a private setting. The cantades, which sing of love and personal tales, are still performed by a handful of enthusiasts or during local festivities. Caramelles de Nadal - typical religious songs from Ibiza and Formentera, heard in churches at Christmas mass and Easter Sunday. Castanets, espasi (a typical Balearic sword-shaped instrument), flute and drum give rhythm to the music. These traditional compositions were declared an "asset of cultural interest" in 2005.
Ibiza, temple of electronic music. On a completely different note, the huge parties that have sprung up in Ibiza are now also part of Balearic folklore. Ibiza's music scene is world-famous for its clubs, which are temples to electronic music. Back in the 1960s, when the hippies landed in this little corner of paradise, the history of tourism on the island, and more broadly in the Balearic Islands, was still being written, far from today's clichés of Ibiza engulfed by mass tourism. At the time, there were still no clubs on Ibiza, and the first major parties were held in large, traditional fincas. Such was the case with the famous Pacha, which opened its doors in 1973 in a finca. Such was its success that nightclubs soon flourished on the island, and with them, in the 1980s and 90s, the great experiments of the techno and electronic beat movements, which continue to this day.
