Christmas on Mallorca: Traditions and Customs

Christmas on Mallorca feels different from Christmas in most northern European or North American homes, and that has less to do with the mild weather than with the customs. In Catalan the season is called "Nadal", and it does not start with the first Sunday of Advent but with December 8, the Inmaculada. It only ends on January 6, when the Three Kings bring the presents.

Which of these days are official public holidays and when government offices stay closed is covered in our overview of public holidays on Mallorca. Dates, markets and what is open when are in our guide Christmas in Mallorca. This post is about what stays the same whatever year is on the calendar: the traditions.

What is Christmas on Mallorca? The festive season on Mallorca runs from December 8 to January 6. Unlike in many other countries, December 24 is not the day presents are opened. Many families only get their main gifts on the morning of January 6, when the Three Kings ("els Reis" in Catalan) arrive.

The Sibyl chant at midnight mass

The island's most striking custom belongs to the midnight mass on December 24: the Cant de la Sibil·la. A young singer in a white robe walks through the darkened church holding a sword upright and sings, in Catalan, the Sibyl's prophecy of the Last Judgement. At the end the sword traces a cross in the air.

The chant goes back to the Middle Ages. After the Council of Trent it vanished from the liturgy almost everywhere; only Mallorca and the Sardinian town of Alghero kept it going without a break. Since 2010 it has been on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. The best-known performance is the one in Palma cathedral, but the Sibil·la is sung in almost every church on the island. In the villages, midnight mass is often the moment when the whole community comes together.

Betlems: nativity scenes instead of a tree

On Mallorca the nativity scene is called a betlem, and in many families it matters more than the Christmas tree. It traditionally goes up around December 8 and comes down after Three Kings Day. Typically Mallorcan are the hand-painted clay figures and the supporting cast from village life, from the farmer to the baker, which turn the scene around the manger into a whole village.

Besides the nativity scenes in town halls and churches there are living nativity scenes, the betlems vivents: residents of a village re-enact the Christmas story in costume, often with craftspeople and scenes from everyday life in the past. Where to find them is listed under betlems on Mallorca.

Matances: the winter pig slaughter

A custom visitors almost never see is the matances. Between November and December, families in the villages slaughter a pig together and turn it into sausages for the whole year in a single day. The matances are a family and village affair: you help out at relatives' or neighbours' homes, and everyone has a job, from washing the casings to seasoning the meat.

This is where the classic Mallorcan sausages are made: the red, spreadable sobrassada with paprika, the botifarró, a dark spiced blood sausage, and the camaiot. At lunchtime there is frit de matances, a pan-fried dish of fresh offal, potatoes and peppers that is really only this fresh on the day itself. The matances season runs until Sant Antoni on January 17. If you live in a village and get on well with your neighbours, sooner or later you will be invited, and it is an invitation worth accepting.

Porcella and Christmas sweets

Many families put a porcella on the festive table: a suckling pig roasted in the oven until the skin is crisp. It is ordered in advance from the butcher or the baker, who often roasts it too, because hardly any home oven is big enough.

For dessert and with coffee there is turrón, Spanish nougat in hard and soft versions, polvorones, crumbly almond biscuits that dissolve in your mouth, and neules, paper-thin rolled wafers that are often dipped in cava. Neules also serve as decoration: patterns cut from the thin wafer traditionally hang in some churches and homes.

Papá Noel or the Three Kings?

It used to be simple: presents came from the Three Kings, during the night of January 5 to 6. Papá Noel, Father Christmas, arrived later through films and advertising. Today many families do a bit of both: something small on December 25 and the real presents on January 6.

On the evening of January 5 the Kings arrive with a parade in almost every municipality, and in Palma with the big Cabalgata de Reyes. Beforehand, children put out their shoes and leave water and a little food for the camels. There is more in our post about the Three Kings on Mallorca.

How families spend December 24 and 25

December 24, the Nit de Nadal, is a working day with busy markets and bakeries. In the evening the family eats together, often until late. Those who are religious or want to hear the Sibil·la then go on to midnight mass.

December 25 is the day of the big lunch. It starts late, stretches into the evening and is usually held at the home of the older generation. Afterwards there is time for turrón, cards and long conversations. December 25 is a public holiday throughout Spain. December 26 (Segona Festa de Nadal or Sant Esteve) is a regional public holiday in the Balearic Islands, although in many other autonomous communities of Spain it is not. Many families get together again that day, often with the other side of the family.

On December 28 comes the "Día de los Inocentes", a kind of Spanish April Fools' Day: newspapers, radio stations and children play pranks, and it is wise not to believe everything you read that day.

For a wider picture of island life in winter beyond the holidays, see our article on Mallorca in winter as a resident. Every festival through the year is in our Mallorca events calendar 2026.

Conclusion

Christmas on Mallorca is quieter and more family-centred than in much of northern Europe, but it is anything but short on customs. The Sibil·la at midnight mass, the nativity scenes with their village figures, the matances in the villages and the porcella on the table are the moments when you notice how rooted the island is in its own traditions. The Three Kings close the season on January 6, and with Sant Antoni the next festival is already on its way.

Background on the Sibyl chant and the services in the cathedral is on the official Catedral de Mallorca website.