August 24th - Patron Saints Day - San Antonio
August 24 - Patron Saints Day In San Antonio
24th August is Patron Saints Day and each year the
celebrations start from as early as the 18th August (well this is
Ibiza where every day is a celebration) and continue until early September.
The Patron Saint of San Antonio is St Bartholomew.
This main celebrations on the 24th August start
early at 8:30am, at 10:30am is a foam & water party (sorry children only).
In the early evening after Mass is a procession through the streets, including
the firecrackers to warn off evil spirits. The day culminates in fireworks at
midnight – head to the mina square opposite the marina for the best vantage
point. You can also expect to see some traditional dancing, and music ranging
from rock to reggae.
The celebrations date back to 1235 when the kingdom of
Aragon took control of the island and introduced Christianity. The villages
responded by building churches and many villages were renamed after a saint
(San Antonio, Santa Gertrudis, San Rafael, San Mateu, Santa Eulalia, etc).
If you are staying in the west of Ibiza then you'll probably only be no further than 10 or 15 minutes drive from the festivities, so pop down and join the locals in celebrating their Patron Saints Day.