The simple pleasures of life in the small villages of Ibiza were amply illustrated this weekend in 3 different village fiestas.
In San Carlos, continuing its local Saint's celebrations, there was a 'gran chocolatada' or as much free chocolate as you can drink, for all the kids, followed by a show given by the students of Eric de Bont's clown school.
In Santa Gertrudis, where another Saint was having a day, an organised walk took in the sights of the village, including the installations of the dairy farm, and ended up in a local bar where everybody got a free drink to recharge those empty batteries.
Finally, in San Juan, a 'matança', a traditional party and dinner, to celebrate the slaughter of a pig, was held to raise money for the local college. Deeply symbolic, the demise of the pig in days of yore, meant that food was available throughout the winter in the form of cured hams and sausages, and was thus a cause for celebration. San Juan 'went the whole hog' by providing the old recipes for all things pork with rice, potatoes and peppers and had over 150 kilos of freshly made sausages for sale.