The festival of San Juan (Sant Joan in Catalan) or St John the Baptist, is one of the biggest festivals celebrated every year in different places in Spain.
San Juan is celebrated on 23rd of June, a magical night that welcomes the summer season. When the night of 23rd of June falls, the party starts and it is ongoing until the sunrise on 24th of June (sí...¡toda la noche!).
The celebration takes place during the shortest night of the year; the summer solstice. It is a celebration that is usually held on the beach with roaring bonfires, firecrackers and friends.
That night the celebration is everywhere so don't worry that you are not going to be left behind!
Legends, tradition and magical rituals are connected by common elements: fire, water and herbs.
Fire is the most important symbol in San Juan and it represents purity. By throwing old belongings in the bonfire you purify your soul of committed sins. Do you have any old belongings? Perfect for San Juan!
Water has curative qualities and heals the body from diseases, that's why you will see a lot of people bathing in the beach during the night. You should definitely try!
The legend also says that curative herbs increase their curative powers during San Juan so people bring different herbs together that night.
The 24th of June is bank holiday and it is a very quiet day as people stay outside until sunrise. However, even if we are tired, we are always ready to eat! Like in most of the traditions, we can't miss our special dish! In this case it is a dessert called "coca". If you go to Spain around this day you will be able to see cocas everywhere! They are delicious!
As you can see, it is a very special celebration full of traditions. Why don't you join in the next one?
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