NEULES A TYPICAL MAJORCAN CHRISTMAS DECORATION –A REAL ARTWORK-MAJORCAN WAFERS
If you decide to visit Mallorca by Christmas, these days you will find in Mallorca , many churches and nativity scenes decorated with the typical Mallorcan Neules.
Surely many times we have wondered which is the origin of this peculiar ornament associated to Mallorcan Christmas.
Anciently these Neules were edible, like a kind of wafer, and the Neules were made of flour dough, and could be smooth, very similar to those used for the communion on the churches, or sweet ones, adding ingredients such as cinnamon or sugar.
This decoration made with Neules, is frequent in many churches in our island, if you visit the cathedral of Palma, these days, you will see our “Seo” decorated with amazing Neules designs.
As a curiosity, long time ago, as we have told you, the Neules were sweet and edible (wafers), in many of the majorcan churches ,were hung for Christmas Eve , for the midnight mass, as we all know in Mallorca during this midnight Mass is sung the Sibil.la, and when it was on finished, the sword was used to cut the rope in which where hanging the sweet Neules or wafers, and the people attending to midnight mass enjoyed eating this sweet Neules (wafers), but unfortunately many times this rope was cuted before the end of the Mass, and of course it was producing a huge chaos so roman catholic church decided to prohibit it.
Also was usual , that when Christmas was over, the children went into the parish churches, to get this sweet gift, the Neules or majorcan wafers.
So we arrive to today Neules, which are circles made of white paper, cutted creating great designs, which look like snowflakes or representing nativity scenes, and hanging to decorate churches or nativity scenes, this neules can be admired nowadays throughout the island.
In the fifteenth century our Neules were used also as calendar, is it not amazing ?
The Neules has been used to count the days until reaching Lent, the Neules were hanging from the llantoner or lampadario (main lamp) orn the center of the church, the largest Neules represented weeks to reach Lent and the small ones represented the days. And they went took away as days and weeks were spent.
But not only in Mallorca the Neules can be found, but also are used in Catalonia, in the south of France and even in Germany where they hang decorating Christmas trees.
Nowadays the Neules are amazing art Works, decorating churches, cribs, and shop´s windows ….
Mallorca Private Tour guides want to invite everyone to visit Mallorca and discover this particular Christmas decorations,.
Discover with our licensed tour guides this and many more of our traditions, a visit to Mallorca is something not to be missing, We look forwards to see you soon in Mallorca. Let us be your tour guide and you’ll be surprised by the amount of amazing things and traditions that Mallorca hides .
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