In Barcelona, Sant Antoni is a very diverse festival celebrated in many parts of the city and in very different ways. But our city is not unique in this regard: Sant Antoni del Porquet – or of the donkeys – is a deeply rooted festival in all Catalan-speaking territories. It is celebrated almost everywhere and takes on very different forms: festivities with bonfires and devils in Mallorca, the grand Santantonades of the towns in the Ports, the cavalcades of the Tres Tombs in the Principality… Also popular are the representations of the legend of the saint, pig raffles, and the major winter festivals dedicated to Sant Antoni.

Let’s review some of the most notable ones, either for their magnitude or uniqueness:

Festa dels Tonis in Taradell. Bonfires, pork tasting, donkey races, and above all, a procession consisting of over fifty horse-drawn carriages – a heritage of the town – that are adorned with different motifs each year, are the main ingredients of the festival.

Santantonada del Forcall. It is one of the most comprehensive Santantonadas held in the Ports, Maestrat, la franja, and Terra Alta area. A thrilling paratheatrical representation, with saints and demons, and the construction and lighting of a magnificent bonfire are the two main axes of this festival. Furthermore, it has served as a model for more towns in this area, spanning the Principality and the Valencian Community.

Festes de Sant Antoni in Canals. To celebrate the Sant Antoni festivities, this town in La Costera region builds and lights one of the most impressive bonfires in our land. It stands about eighteen meters tall, with a perfectly crafted conical shape, and is lit on the first day of the festivities in the evening.

Revetlla de Sant Antoni in sa Pobla. January 16th is a magical night in many towns in Mallorca, with long evening gatherings around bonfires, where botifarrons are cooked, and improvised songs are sung. Sa Pobla’s celebration is one of the most famous due to the large number of bonfires lit and its devils, but similar celebrations take place in Manacor, Artà, Capdepera, Alaró…

Festa de l’Encamisada in Falset. In addition to the traditional Tres Tombs parade, Sant Antoni is commemorated in Falset for a victory during the Peninsular War. This causes participants in the parade to wear only shirtsleeves, as the legend goes, where the people of Falset surprised their enemies in the fog by camouflaging themselves dressed only in white shirts. The Encamisada is a good example of why a festival as widespread as Sant Antoni can have deeply rooted local variations.

The festival is also associated with a rich cuisine, based on horseshoe-shaped cakes that, like those of Reyes, hide surprises. In Forcall, ‘rolletes’ and ‘cocas’ are very popular, two sweets filled with angel hair jam that are baked in a medieval oven. And in Muro and sa Pobla, two places located in a wetland area, the festival would not be the same without eel, which is eaten in many different ways: fried, in a casserole, and especially in “espinagada” (in a pie). Finally, the festival also features pork, with all kinds of communal meals serving loin, bacon, sausages, and sobrasada.