From 2024 onwards, the Diada de Mallorca will be celebrated on the 12th of September instead of the 31st of December, as it has been since 2016. This change was approved by the Consell de Mallorca in the ordinary plenary session of 14 March, where the 17 votes in favour of the Partido Popular and Vox won out over the 15 votes against of the opposition made up of PSIB-PSOE, El Pi and Més.
Diada de Mallorca commemorative event.
In this way, the 12th of September is restored as the official date for the celebration of the island’s main festivity, as was the case between 1997 and 2016. The Consell’s Minister of the Presidency, Antoni Fuster, defended this decision based on three reports by historians and members of the Reial Acadèmia Mallorquina d’Estudis Històrics, Genealògics i Heràldics, which indicate that the 12th of September is the most appropriate day to celebrate the Diada de Mallorca. According to Fuster, the island institution has carried out a “participatory and transparent procedure, which complies with all legal guarantees and which has given a voice and a vote to all interested parties”, in reference to the consultations carried out with Mallorcan municipalities, experts and citizens in general.
Historical references of the Diada de Mallorca
The new Diada de Mallorca commemorates the 12th of September 1276, the day on which Jaume II swore the Charter of Franchises and Privileges granted to the island by Jaume I “the Conqueror” after taking it from the Muslims, thus initiating the independent kingdom of Mallorca. Some historians also state that it was also on the 12th of September 1226 when the Aragonese troops disembarked in Santa Ponça to conquer Mallorca.
On the other hand, the 31st of December remembers the triumphal entry of James I into Palma in 1226, so the previous date of the Diada de Mallorca coincided with the traditional Festa de l’Estandard, documented since 1313. This meant that the commemorative, popular and cultural activities of both celebrations overlapped as they were held on the same day.
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