In the Plaza de la Constitució, in the Marina district, people begin to gather more than an hour before the opening show of the twenty-third year of Eivissa Medieval. After being suspended in 2020 and a reduced format in 2021, it is obvious that the islanders missed celebrating Ibiza as a World Heritage site since 1999.
“We were looking forward to an Eivissa Medieval like before. It’s nice to see the streets of the Marina and Dalt Vila so lively, I wish it was always like this,” says Carlota Canales, who is accompanied by her partner, Marc Enriquez and their children of one and three years.
The public is crowding in front of the Portal de ses Taules. There is no longer any obligation to maintain the distance between attendees, who can all enjoy Eivissa Medieval without the fear of coronavirus. In fact, there are very few masks and almost all of them are worn by elderly people. Maria Planells is one of those who has preferred to be cautious and has left home with an FFP2 because, she says, she still has respect for covid. As a rule, she says, she “shies away from crowds”, but she was so eager to see the opening ceremony that this time she didn’t mind taking the risk.
There are only a few minutes left for the event to begin, which is in the hands of La Fragua de Vulcano, which is part of A.M.B, a Valencian company that since 2015 has participated in almost every year of the Vila medieval. ‘The fantasy city’ is the title of the show it has created for the occasion. As a member of A.M.B explains, the story to be represented is “a metaphor for covid”, involving about 60 people from a dozen animation groups from different parts of the peninsula, in addition to Portugal, France and Italy. In previous year several performers from Ibiza have been part of the inaugural event, but in this case there is only one, Ramón Taboada, actor and director of the theater company Arts i Oficis, who, as in 2019, will be the narrator of this fantastic story.
The show starts punctually, as soon as the authorities arrive at the Mercat Vell. In the large processions, which just toured the local craft stalls of calle Antoni Palau, are the president of the Govern, Francina Armengol, the Balearic Minister of Mobility and Housing, Josep Marí Ribas Agustinet, the president of the Consell de Ibiza, Vicent Marí, and the mayor of Vila, Rafa Ruiz. They watch the event from a platform. Around them there are hundreds of residents and also many tourists, including some from the huge cruise ship that is docked at es Botafoc. In total,there are about 700 people gathered in the plaza, according to calculations by the City Council of Ibiza.
Eivissa Medieval brings the magic
The music announces the start of the show. Taboada begins to tell, in Catalan, the story of a city that has been closed for two years because of a pandemic, the plague. The Sandlakis, guardians of color and time, watch that its gates, guarded by three impressive dragons, remain closed. When these legendary creatures appear on the scene, the audience watches them in awe until the smoke they spew from their jaws forces more than one to cover their nose with a handkerchief. The dragons are engaged in a fierce battle with brave soldiers, but the soldiers are unable to defeat them. They then resort to the protection of the goddess Tanit and a witch, who boils rosemary flower in a cauldron and casts a spell that manages to bewitch the mythological creatures and make them surrender at her feet. Then, finally, the doors of the city of fantasy open and color, illusion and joy reign again on Ibiza. Applause and bravos are heard among the audience, in addition to the sound of firecrackers, like cannon shots, which cause more than one jump.
The Eivissa Medieval party begins at the Portal de ses Taules opened by the flag bearers of Tortosa, delighting the audience with their flag throwing.
The audience’s excitement grows with the sound of the bagpipes and drums of all the music groups that are parading through the Portal de ses Taules, such as Treefolk, Os Fillos d’o Sobrarbe or Gaelog.
The Eivissa Medieval celebration continues with the dance of the French group Kervan and the oriental dances of Upsala. In this inauguration there is also space for incredible fantasy creatures and for the acrobatics and humor of the friendly elves from the Portuguese group Somnium, who make the little ones smile.
The musicians from Rota Temporis are in charge of closing the event, which lasts about half an hour.
The public seems satisfied. “It has been spectacular. I really liked the staging and the dragons”, says Isabel Alfonso, who was able to witness the show in the front row with her niece Elena. She has traveled from Sant Jordi to Ibiza expressly to be at the opening. Also Taquia Gómez and her daughter Carlota, in this case from Sant Agustí. They are fans of Eivissa Medieval and plan to visit the fair every day. The inauguration, they say, has delighted them.
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