#cossiers

Left: The Penitent Mary Magdalene (1661) - Mateo Cerezo

Tomorrow is Sant Honorat, the local festivity of the town of Algaida in Mallorca (Balearic Islands). As is traditional, the holiday is celebrated with a series of traditional dances in the streets, including the cossiers dance.

Cossiers is a dance of Medieval origin documented since the 16th century, formed of different characters: 6 cossiers (except in Pollença where there are 12 of them), the Lady (Dama), and in many towns also the Demon (Dimoni). Traditionally, all the characters were performed by men —yes, including the Lady. The dancers from Algaida were the first ones to allow women to participate, only in the role of the Lady, back in 1974. Slowly, all the other towns have also allowed women to perform as the Lady, except for Montuïri, where they still only allow men.

The news this year is that the Algaida group has become a pioneer once again and, for the first time ever, tomorrow a woman will perform as the Demon in the dance. She's Elionor Serra Oliver, who has already been involved with the group for some years representing the Lady. The spokesman of the dance group has announced that, from now on, all roles in the dance are open to all genders, and this year they'll also choose new cossiers of any gender.

Cossiers dance from Algaida, with Elionor playing the Lady. Photo from Ara Balears.

The towns of Manacor and Alaró have already opened the role of cossiers to all genders, but women are still restricted from playing the Demon. In the rest of towns of. Mallorca, women are still only allowed to play the Lady, or nothing at all in Montuïri. We hope that after Algaida's decision, more will join and make this element of our culture more inclusive, as a step forward to allow women to take part in all aspects of public life.

Jan Cossiers -The Parable of the Prodigal Son - 

oil on canvas, height: 128 cm (50.3 in); width: 212.2 cm (83.5 in)

3 December 2014: auctioned at Sotheby's, New York, lot 31

I love these illustrations of Mallorcan traditions.

Jan Cossiers (Attr.) - Banquet scene -

oil on canvas, height: 154.5 cm (60.8 in); width: 222 cm (87.4 in)

Sold at Sotheby's New York on 8 June 2007, lot 351