Rural customs in the month of November

During the waning moon of this month, olives were salted; sometimes they had to be laid out for several days, waiting to be turned. Many porquetjades (pig slaughters) also took place all over Menorca —known as those from Saint Michael to Christmas— and these could not be carried out during the full moon, as it was believed that the cuixots (a local sausage similar to the Mallorcan camaiot) would burst. This lunar phase was known as the caldera moon.

When carrying out porquetjades, people always had to pay close attention to the lunar girants. A girant is the moment of transition from new moon to waning moon. There is a traditional way to know whether the moon is waning or waxing, following the saying: “If the moon looks east, it is waning; if it looks west, it is waxing.” These lunar transitions occur on a specific day and hour of the month. All this is very curious, but there are even more beliefs linked to natural phenomena that also influenced pig slaughtering.

Besides the moon, great care was taken to ensure that the women who helped with the slaughter were not menstruating, as it was believed that everything they touched would be spoiled, especially foods that remained raw, such as sobrassada or pork belly. This was taken very seriously. Women in this condition were also not allowed to plant broad beans or certain seedlings, as they were thought to grow poorly or die. Tradition also holds that a woman who is menstruating cannot successfully make mayonnaise by hand, using a pestle and mortar, as it will always curdle.

November marked the beginning of the sowing season.