The festivities department of the Consell de Formentera has announced that their Majesties the Three Kings of the East will tie up their ship, as every year, at the commercial wharf of La Savina port (in front of the Nueva Formentera harbourmaster’s tower [Passeig de la Marina]) at 6.00pm on Sunday 5 January. Joined by pages and the rest of the royal entourage and riding in decorated floats, the Magi will then lead a tour across the towns of the island.

After the stop in La Savina, the cavalcade will continue their circuit up the highway in time for an estimated 7.00pm arrival in Sant Francesc. The party will take Carrer de Santa Maria into town towards Plaça de la Constitució. Once there, their Majesties will stop in at the Sant Francesc Xavier church. Afterwards, they will make an appearance on the Consell de Formentera balcony, greeting the town from their perch and taking part in the administration's official reception of the travelling entourage.

At approximately 8.00pm, the Kings will once again take up the reins and head down the highway towards Sant Ferran. Once in town, the committee will climb Carrer Sant Jaume to the town square and enter the church to revere the baby Jesus. All those hoping to meet the Magi can do so in the tent which holds watch over the church plaza, where boys and girls from Sant Ferran will also be able to pick up gifts.

Near 8.30pm, again by way of the main highway, the cavalcade will continue in the direction of La Mola. There, they will descend the central arterial towards the town’s church, where gifts will be distributed to the eagerly awaiting children of that town.

Kids in Sant Francesc must wait until Monday 6 January to receive their gifts from the Wise Men. That ceremony will take place at Colegio Virgen Milagrosa —“Ca ses Monges”— on the heels of the Epiphany Mass scheduled for 11.30am at the Sant Francesc Xavier church.

Entertainment
While youngsters await the Three Kings and company, they’ll be treated to Bover Circus’s Or, encens, mirra i CIRC. Chock full of magic, theatrics, humour and Yuletide charm, “Gold, incense, myrrh and CIRCUS” spotlights, under the hand of an M.C. who promises to titillate and tickle the funny bones of crowds young and old, the myriad members of the circus team.
The show starts at 5.00pm on La Savina’s waterfront promenade.

Organised by the Three Kings’ Association in conjunction with the Consell de Formentera, the Magi’s epic annual journey brings joy and magic to our streets and gifts to our people. The Formentera government wishes to thank those who have made the cavalcade’s 2020 stopover possible: youth volunteers, the Formentera Three Kings’ Association, the local farmers’ cooperative, Quintanilla and Formentera carpenter’s shops, Mediterranea Pitiusa, Pitiüsa Sud, Sa Xerxa network of children’s and youth theatre in the Balearics, La Mola Neighbourhood Association, Port Authority and the civil protection corps, firefighters and law enforcement.

Underscoring the “eager anticipation and keen sense of joy” with which Formentera awaits the Wise Men, Consell president Alejandra Ferrer highlighted the individual efforts —of the Three Kings’ Association, of volunteers and of other collaborating organisations— that make the moment possible.

3 January 2020
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Reviving a yearly tradition, Formentera’s Language Assessment Service has put out a new crop of calendars for the year ahead.

The 2020 calendar spotlights eleven islands on the Formentera coastline; a summit between Punta de l’Anguila and Racó de s’Alga; and Es Freus, and includes the image and etymological origin of names like S’Espardell, S’Espardelló, S’Espalmador,  Castaví, En Forn, Ses Parreres and Es Fonoll Marí, to name a few.

Past editions of the calendars have focused on varieties of fig, raisin, fishing tackle and Formentera’s history as told by its archaeological sites.

The 2020 calendar aims to showcase local toponymy—namely, that of Formentera’s coastal waters. Photos were taken by Alfredo Montero, and the two thousand copies that have been printed are available at Consell de Formentera offices like the Citizen’s Information Office (OAC), Antoni Blanc sport centre, the culture office in Sant Ferran and the Casa del Poble in La Mola.

23 December 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera