I thought this week it would be a good idea to provide some details of all this year's calendar Fiestas, religious and public holidays here on Ibiza and the island of Formentera.

1st January: Año Nuevo - New Year's Day is a public holiday in Ibiza and also throughout the whole of Spain.

6th January: Día de Reyes (Epifania del Señor) - This is the day of the "Three Kings" or Epiphany which is the biggest day of the year for all of the children throughout Spain. This is the equivalent of Christmas day because the "Three Kings" in traditional costumes arrive in a sensational procession at each local town hall square to give the local children their presents which were initially supplied to the local town hall by the parents of each child.

17th January: Sant Antoni de Portmany - This is the Patrons Saint's day and a local public holiday for San Antonio Abad.

21st January: Santa Agnès de Corona - This is the Patrons Saint's day and a local public holiday for Santa Iñes.

12th February: Santa Eulàría des Riu - This is the Patrons Saint's day and a local public holiday for Santa Eulária.

27th February: Martes de Carnaval - Shrove Tuesday.

28th February: Miércoles de Ceniza - Ash Wednesday.

1st March: Día de les Illes Balears - This is a public holiday throughout the Baleares islands to celebrate the Statue of Self-Government.

19th March: Sant Josep de sa Talaia - This is the Patron Saint's day and a local public holiday for San José.

2nd April: Sant Francesc de S'estany - This is the Patron Saint's day of San Francesc de Paula.

5th April: Sant Vicent de sa Cala - This is the Patron Saint's day and a local public holiday in San Vicente.

8th April: Domingo de Ramos - Palm Sunday

12th April: Jueves Santo - Maundy Thursday

13th April: Viernes Santo - Good Friday

15th April: Domingo de Resurrección - Easter Sunday

23rd April: Sant Jorge - This is the Patron Saint's day and local public holiday for San Jorge.

1st May: Fiesta del Trabajo - The Fiesta for the worker on May Day.

11th May: Patrimonio de la Humanidad - This is a local holiday to celebrate the island of Ibiza's recent special award for The Heritage of Mankind.

13th May: Puig den Valls - This is the Patron Saint's day and a local public holiday in Puig den Valls

24th May: Día de la Ascensión - Ascension Day.

30th May: Sant Fernando - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for San Fernando on the island of Formentera.

14th June: Corpus Christi - This is a religious holiday.

21st to 24th June: Sant Joan de Labritja - This is the start in Ibiza town of a four-day period of fiestas which are devoted to Saint John the Baptist.

23rd June: Vispera de San Juan - Midsummer's Eve is a public holiday to celebrate the beginning of the summer where fireworks and bonfires are burnt throughout the whole of Spain.

24th June: Sant Joan de Labritja -This is the Patron Saint's day of John the Baptist and a public holiday on the island in San Juan and Ibiza town.

10th July: Fiestas de Sant Cristobal - This Patron Saint's day is celebrated in Es Caña.

16th July: Día del Carmen - This is the Patron Saint day for all fisherman and her day is celebrated as a public holiday in Ibiza town, San Antonio and Formentera. Ibiza town has a colourful water procession with an Amada of boats full of flowers which pageant around the harbour.

25th July: Sant Jaime (Santiago Apostol) - This Patron Saint's day is celebrated throughout the whole of Spain and is a public holiday in San Juan on Ibiza and also for the island of Formentera.

5th August: Nuestra Senora de las Nieves - This Patron Saint's day is celebrated in the cathedral of Ibiza town and continues with sensational parades and fireworks for three days.

5th August: Santa Maria - This Patron Saint's day is celebrated here on the island in Ibiza town, San José, San Juan, Santa Eulàría and also on the island of Formentera.

8th August: Sant Ciriaco - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for the island of Ibiza.

10th August: Sant Llorenç de Balàfia - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday in San Lorenzo.

15th August: Asunción de la Virgen - This day celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

24th August: Sant Bartolomé - This Patron Saint's day is only celebrated in San Antonio, simply because, many years ago there was a boat full of people from a town on the east coast of Spain who were in trouble and distress out at sea in bed weather. This boat and all the people sailing in her were eventually rescued by local sailors from San Antonio and brought to safety here to the island on this special day in August, which is completed at midnight by a spectacular firework display.

28th August: Sant Agusti des Vedra - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for San Agustin, which features live music by local bands playing in the local church square during the evening.

8th September: Jesús - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday in Jesús.

14th Santa Cruz - This is a Patron Saint's day which is celebrated in Ibiza town.

21st September: Sant Mateu de Aubarca - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for San Mateu.

29th September: Sant Miguel de Balansat - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday in San Miguel.

12th October: Fiesta Nacional Día de la Hispanidad - This day is a national day of fiesta throughout the whole of Spain to celebrate the discovery of America by Columbus.

24th October: Sant Rafel de Forca - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for San Rafael.

1st November: Día de Todos los Santos - This public holiday is to celebrate All Saints Day.

4th November: Sant Carles de Peralta - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for San Carlos.

16th November: Santa Gestrudis de Fruitera - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for Santa Gertrudis.

3rd December: Sant Francisco Javier - This is the Patron Saint's day and a public holiday for San Francisco on the island of Formentera.

6th December: Día de la Constitución - This is a national holiday throughout Spain to celebrate Constitution Day.

8th December: Inmaculada Concepción - This is a public holiday here on Ibiza and the island of Formentera to celebrate the Immaculate Conception.

24th December: Nochebuena - To celebrate Christmas Eve.

25th December: Navidad del Señor - Christmas Day.

26th December: Segunda Fiesta de Navidad - This is also the Patron Saint's day of San Esteban.

28th December: Día de los Inocentes - All Fools Day.

31st December: Noche Vieja - New Year's Eve.

Shut up time: I read a snippet in a newspaper this week that the dog-eared 120 foot scroll manuscript of Jack Kerouac's novel "On The Road" is to be auctioned at Christie's in New York this year on 22nd May. The manuscript pasted in 12 foot sections and composed in three weeks, is expected to fetch between 1 million to 1.5 million USA dollars.

Jack Kerouac had a special carriage fitted on his old typewriter which took a huge roll of paper so that he didn't have to stop writing to continuously change sheets of paper. When writer Jack Kerouac died in 1969 he left a total of 91 USA dollars. I wonder if the founder of the Beat Generation (who passed through here with his buddy the "Literary Outlaw & Hitman for the Apocalypse" William S. Burroughs during the mid-1950s on their travels to Tangier) literary kindred spirit will turn in his grave to create an uproar and suffer a severe bout of depression as the auctioneer's hammer goes down on such a huge amount of dinero?