In many churches, and most particularly in Palma Cathedral and Lluc Monastery,
there is a Christmas Eve ceremony that is virtually unique to Mallorca. A boy or girl sings
the Sibil.la prophesising the Day of Judgement and the Second Coming of Christ.
Brought to the Island by the Catalans in the XIIIth century, it follows a text
that dates from the XVth century and the original document
can be seen in the Diocesan Museum.
It was banned at the Council of Trent in the
XVIth century but kept alive in Mallorca and in Alguer in Sardinia, where a
dialect of Catalan is still spoken. In Palma, the day ends with a visit to Can
Joan de S'Aigo in the calle de Can Sanc for a hot chocolate and an ensaimada.
Verses in English
Sybils in the Ancient World
