Formentera Hotels

History, language, culture

Formentera, a borderland, has had an eventful history and its fate has almost always been linked to that of Eivissa. Man´s presence on the island goes back at least 4.000 years. The Can Blai encampment, nearby Es Caló, remains as the most important exponent of the Roman occupation. After domination by the Arabs, Eivissa and Formentera were conquered by Cataln troops in 1235. Emigration to distant lands was a significant feature until the middle of the 20th century wheb tourism radically changed the economy and the life of the Formentera people. The hippies decisively contributed towards the fame of Formentera and associated the island with a different kind of tourism. With the plocamation of the Statute of Autonomy (home rules) in 1983, Catalan, in its insular form, was established as en official language together with Spanish, and the institutions of self government: Govern de les Illes Balears the Parlament, and the Consell Insular were returned.

Even today the origins of Formentera´s folklore are largely unknown. Although the Arab influence (particularly in the singing) is obvious, there are many nuances which throw some doubt on this hypothesis. The symbology of the dances is particularly interesting, as well as the unusual instruments used, which are hand crafted from wholly native materials.

The costumes are spectacular, especially the women´s party dress, with its priceless gold "prendada", in contrast to the sombre black simplicity of the workday clothes.