The legend of the almond and Balaixa

In our territory some clueless almond trees are beginning to bloom. There is very little left to enjoy some of most beautiful landscapes while doing the horse and carriage routes with a tasting of km 0 products and wines under the beautiful flowering almond tree we show you. The almond tree is one of the first trees to bloom, when the thermometer reads 6º C the first flowers begin to sprout. These will stay on the tree for 20 to 30 days. Today we will tell you a beautiful legend of Pollença that talks about thelove and flowering almond trees.

A narrow street near the steps of the Calvary of Pollença (Mallorca), bears on a board the name of the protagonist of this story: Balaixa. Balaixa was very beautiful, with the beauty that its Saracen features gave it. She was totally submissive to her father, the Moor Algatzení, that conscious of the power that exerted on its daughter, he dreamed of marrying her to some rich man landowner.

A forbidden love

The possessions of Algatzení and Beni-Gigar (today the estates of Ca’n Guilló and Son March), were not far away but were separated by theenmity of its owners, which came from a long time ago, and no matter how many years passed it was not fixed. I-Nasser, successor and heir of the Beni-Gigar, was in love with Balaixa and she corresponded with him. The girl's father did not accept her and punished her by shutting her up forbidding him to see the young man again.

Balaixa, unable to resist this ban, but at the same time not wanting to miss his father, sank into a great sadness, the pain was reflected on his face. Supplicate to her father who let her join Ben-Nassar.

The father did not want to carry forever the responsibility of his daughter's despair so he hatched a plan knowing that the boy couldn't get it what he would ask of her; had to offer Balaixa a bouquet of almond blossoms before the next new moon. There were still well over two months to February and the milestone was impossible.

An impossible requirement, untimely almond blossoms

Balaixa goes to Beni-Gigar's house to tell Ben-Nassar about his father's request. The joy of seeing his beloved and power kiss her and hug her, disappeared when she explained her father's condition to be able to marry. The almond trees were asleep and it was impossible to see a single flower in theirs bare branches. Balaixa spent the night crying, nor did the young man's caresses comfort her. She cried and her tears were drunk by the dry earth of the old almond tree on whose trunk they were supported. Tears of pain, anger and grief that reached the roots of the tree and turned into a miracle d’amor, in an appearance of flowers, not white as those normally found in almond trees, had a pink brushstroke on each of its petals.

Even today, the old women of Pollença have this ending for the legend of the almond tree:

Balaixa and Ben-Nassar lived together for a long time happiness coming to see the conquest of Mallorca by the troops of James I, they embraced the new faith in the company of their children. His life passed happily, until one day a runaway Saracen, jealous of the couple's happiness, found Balaixa alone on the farm, and went murder.

His body was lying under the Beni-Gigar almond trees, on the branches of which pointed a few white and pink flowers.