seen from Yemen
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Philippines
seen from Taiwan
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Italy
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Slovakia
seen from Yemen
seen from India
Left: The Penitent Mary Magdalene (1661) - Mateo Cerezo
Right: Penitent Magdalene (1624) - Jan Cossiers
Good news: women allowed for the first time in history to perform as the Demon in cossiers dance!
Ball dels cossiers d'Algaida - Sant Jaume 2023
Tomorrow is Sant Honorat, the local festivity of the town of Algaida in Mallorca (Balearic Islands). As is traditional, the holiday is celebrated with a series of traditional dances in the streets, including the cossiers dance.
Cossiers is a dance of Medieval origin documented since the 16th century, formed of different characters: 6 cossiers (except in Pollença where there are 12 of them), the Lady (Dama), and in many towns also the Demon (Dimoni). Traditionally, all the characters were performed by men —yes, including the Lady. The dancers from Algaida were the first ones to allow women to participate, only in the role of the Lady, back in 1974. Slowly, all the other towns have also allowed women to perform as the Lady, except for Montuïri, where they still only allow men.
The news this year is that the Algaida group has become a pioneer once again and, for the first time ever, tomorrow a woman will perform as the Demon in the dance. She's Elionor Serra Oliver, who has already been involved with the group for some years representing the Lady. The spokesman of the dance group has announced that, from now on, all roles in the dance are open to all genders, and this year they'll also choose new cossiers of any gender.
Cossiers dance from Algaida, with Elionor playing the Lady. Photo from Ara Balears.
The towns of Manacor and Alaró have already opened the role of cossiers to all genders, but women are still restricted from playing the Demon. In the rest of towns of. Mallorca, women are still only allowed to play the Lady, or nothing at all in Montuïri. We hope that after Algaida's decision, more will join and make this element of our culture more inclusive, as a step forward to allow women to take part in all aspects of public life.
Congratulations to Elionior and all the cossiers dance from Algaida! L'enhorabona!
Jan Cossiers -The Parable of the Prodigal Son -
oil on canvas, height: 128 cm (50.3 in); width: 212.2 cm (83.5 in)
3 December 2014: auctioned at Sotheby's, New York, lot 31
Jan Cossiers (Antwerp, 15 July 1600 – Antwerp, 4 July 1671) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. Cossiers’ earliest works were Caravaggesque genre works depicting low life scenes. Later in his career he painted mostly history and religious subjects as well as portraits. Cossiers was one of the leading painters in Antwerp after Rubens’ death in 1640 and one of the most original colorists in 17th-century Flanders.
Jan Cossiers, Autoportrait (c. 1630s)
I love these illustrations of Mallorcan traditions.
The first one is Sant Joan Pelut i les Àguiles drawn by Bartolomé Seguí and the second one is the Cossiers dance drawn by Margalida Vinyes. From the exhibition Les festes (il·lustrades) de Mallorca (source).
Jan Cossiers (Attr.) - Banquet scene -
oil on canvas, height: 154.5 cm (60.8 in); width: 222 cm (87.4 in)
Sold at Sotheby's New York on 8 June 2007, lot 351
Jan Cossiers (Antwerp, 15 July 1600 – Antwerp, 4 July 1671) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. Cossiers’ earliest works were Caravaggesque genre works depicting low life scenes. Later in his career he painted mostly history and religious subjects as well as portraits. Cossiers was one of the leading painters in Antwerp after Rubens’ death in 1640 and one of the most original colorists in 17th-century Flanders.
Jan Cossiers, Portrait of a Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat (c. 1630s)
'93 Ford Escort RS Cosworth at Brooklands Museum for the Cosworth Drivers Club meet 2022. @rs.owners.club @rsowners @brooklandsmuseum @forduk @fordownersuk @ford_owners_club_ @fordclubgb @thefordbible #fordescortrscosworth #fordrscosworth #rscosworth #cossiers #rscossie #brooklandsmuseum #cosworthdriversclub #rsownersclub #fordrs #k60mer #fordescort #escortowners #rsowners #fordsofinstagram (at Brooklands Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CetR_H6N9WA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
