For shopping maniacs, the Balearic Islands are the proper place to acquire glass crafts, ceramics, embroidering and silver jewellery. The region of Manacor, on Mallorca, is famous for its cultivated pearls that deserve world-wide praise. On the other hand, a Mallorcan municipality, Marratxí, is known like ‘Clay land’ because of its specialization in this craftsmanship.

Traditional gastronomy of the Balearics comes from a millenarian fishing and farming tradition. The ‘Ensaimada’ is well known and its name comes from the pig butter that serves as a base in dough preparation. Mayonnaise is also a very characteristic sauce in the region. Sobrassada, botifarro and camaiot are typical sausages of the zone.

Popular celebrations are the ones of San Joan de Ciutadella, with the traditional horse cavalcades, “ensortilles,” that consist of spitting a hoop with a lance while galloping, and “jaleos,” in which horses rear themselves between the multitude. The more traditional dances are the Balearic bolero and “jota,” with all their variants, “copeos” and “maitexes.” On Ibiza, the typical dances of “sa curt” are remarkable and on Minorca the menorquines sing fandangos.

When you talk about the Balearics, Ibiza immediately comes to mind. The transformation of Ibiza in a first order tourist centre, and, in addition to it, a pilgrimage place for many youthful movements, began in the Seventies with the arrival of the hippies, who adopted the place as one of their own. This fact produced a cultural change that was added to the previous arrival of European artists, who saw in Ibiza a paradise. The nightlife of Ibiza is wild and full of energy. The native fashion and way of live, full of multiculturalism and tolerance, are an example-culture and Ibiza´s music has a fundamental importance since the island is one of the cradles of rave, and therefore its discotheques have become a landmark of European juvenile style. Ibiza nightlife is legendary, and the clubs and bars around the San Antonio area are an authentic Mecca for DJs worldwide.

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Ibiza Music

Formentera beach