Cossiers de Montuïri

What is

The only ball de cossiers in Mallorca that has remained without interruption in its space, time and objects. Six cossiers, a Lady and the Banya Verda dimoni.

On i quan

• Montuïri: August 15 (Assumpció) and August 23-24 (Sant Bartomeu). On the 25th, the dimoni only in the corregudes.

Personatges and objects

• 6 cossiers in pairs of color: groc, pink, green vestit de cossier .
• The Lady: here he is still a man.
• The dimoni Banya Verda mask and dimoni vest .
• Music: flabiol i drumí and colla de xeremiers .

How is

• Cossiers: white base (shirt, socks, calçons amb bufes, espardenyes). Key piece: the tunnel, colored skirt with large matching faixa. On the chest and back, the tip (cape) with three images of saints, the relliquis. Straw capell lined with the color, raised wings, paper or fabric flowers, two miralls and three ribbons, the mocada. Threads of bells diagonally on the chocks, two silk mocadores and two sprigs of alfàbega.
• Lady: white shirt and pants, long flowered silk skirt, boater with red ribbon and flowers; mocador and bells with ribbons.
• Dimoni: mask (originally made of wood) with twisted goat horns, horsehair eyebrows and mustache; sack dress painted with scenes from hell; black espardenyes; llendera (whip) and barrota (stick); a picarol on his back.
• Choreography: in a circle, the Lady in the center, alternating colors. At the end of the ball the Lady steps on the dimoni.
• 11 dances, all with lyrics: Flor de Murta (always the first), Mestre Joan, Dansa Nova, Gallineta Rossa, Obriu-mos, El rei no podia, l'Oferta, els Mocadors o Caragolet, Mercançó, Mitjanit, Gentil Senyora.
• 8/15: route to collect the joies (prizes) of the races; Since 2011 they have been dancing Gentil Senyora before the llit of the Mare de Déu Morta.
• 8/24: dawn of xeremies from the bell tower; l'Offering in the church before Sant Bartomeu; es Mocadors accompanying authorities; es Mercançó inside the plenary hall.
• The dimoni chases the young people who shout "Banya verda!".

Vocabulary

• cossier: ball dancer.
• túnel: colored skirt of the cossier.
• sa punta: cape with prints.
• relliquis: sewn images of saints.
• la mocada: three hat ribbons.
• llendera: whip of the dimoni.
• barrota: stick of the dimoni.
• Banya Verda: name of the dimoni.
• joies: racing prizes.

History

• 14th century: maximum splendor of the cossiers in Corpus Christi.
• 1544: document (Rullan, Història de Sóller): cossiers in 15 towns on the island, especially for Corpus Christi.
• 1821: first documentation in Montuïri.
• 1992: Joan Miralles, Cossiers de Montuïri (lyrics and music).
• 2008: the cossiers decide to also go out dressed on August 15.
• 2012: Ramon Llull Award.

Protection

• BICIM: initiation BOIB 26, 2/27/2018 (exp. 180/2016); BOIB statement 131, 10/20/2018.

Why is it design

• Color code as choreography: the color orders the circle.
• Layered clothing: neutral white base + colored pieces + amulets (prints, mirrors, alfàbega).
• Clear archetypes: Dama (good) and dimoni (evil) with objects that define them (mocador versus llendera).

For the project

• Visual sheet of the dress piece by piece; look for who sews the tunnels and makes the capells.
• Interview: transmission of the 11 dances with lyrics.

Sources

• caib.es/eboibfront/pdf/ca/2018/26/1002367
• caib.es/sites/departamentdecultura/ca/bicim-illes_balears/
• ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossiers

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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