In my region's tradition,
la setmana dels barbuts (='the week of bearded men') is the one that includes the days 15 and 17 of January, corresponding to the celebrations of
St. Paul of Thebes (
Sant Pau l'Ermità) and
St. Maurus (
Sant Maur l'Abat) the 15th, and
St. Anthony the Great (
Sant Antoni Abat) the 17th. Some other saints, less known, are also included in the
week.
This name comes from the fact these three saints are usually depicted wearing long, thick white beards, associated with snow and cold.
There are a lot of celebrations around those days. The stamp below, issued in 2018, shows the celebrations on the town of
Artà. As you can see, Sant Anthony festivals often include demons dancing...
And, as we are already there, let me show some recently received stamps. These do not depict bearded men, but they are related to
the Balearic islands, where I used to live:
|
Flag and map of the Balearic islands 3 January 2011 |
|
Prairies of oceanic Posidonia (seagrass) - WHS by UNESCO 15 October 2001 |
|
Dijous Bo (annual fair) 4 November 2002 |
|
Rural Architecture: Possessió Raixa (16th century) 5 July 2018 |