La revetlla de Sant Joan - the festival of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated in Barcelona on the evening of 23rd June in 2008
This is the midsummer solstice celebration, the start of the summer season and the longest period of daylight in the year, not to be confused with the Equinox, which is when the day has equal lengths of day and night. The Equinox occurs in March and September.
The day after the solstice in Spain is Saint John's day, which is on 24th June 2008 every year and a public holiday in Catalonia.
The Sant Joan fiestas take place from sundown to sunrise on the eve of Saint John's day and are also called "verbenas," which means open-air fiestas or celebrations.
The Sant Joan festival is also called La Nit de Sant Joan - the night of Saint John.
The summer solstice was considered the most important event of the solar year in ancient times.
Fire was celebrated on this day as the symbol of abundance, purity and fertility and to this day fire and fireworks are one of the central elements in the Festival of Sant Joan, illluminating the skies of Barcelona every year!
Visit the Barcelona city Nit de Sant Joan website http://www.bcn.es/santjoan for more details about verbenas (open-air celebrations) fireworks and bonfires all over Barcelona. This website is usually updated a few days before Sant Joan each year and you will find information about events in each barrio, and fireworks and bonfire safety information.
Fire!
The biggest element of the festival of Sant Joan is fire. The flame to light the fires is called the "Flama del Canigó," which is taken to different villages every year.
There will be bonfires everywhere in Barcelona and Catalonia and you can participate in the rituals of fire purification to cleanse your sins and rid yourself of bad luck. Old furniture is used to fuel the bonfire to symbolise a gesture of "out with the old - in with the new!
There are several traditions around the fires. One is that you write your wishes for whatever you want to change in your life on a piece of paper (or a pad if you have many!) and then throw them into the flames and finally jump in the air 3 times.
Another and more dramatic fire tradition for lovers only is to clasp the hand of your loved one and together jump over the bonfire seven times. Then you will live happily ever after!
In our opinion this is actually pretty reckless, unless the fire is very small. We have seen a few drunken revellers over the years trying to jump over bonfires only to stumble and fall back into them instead. They got scars ever after rather than happiness. We would leave that tradition behind.
Water!
Water is another important element of Sant Joan. According to tradition, on the eve of Sant Joan you can cleanse your sins in water symbolising the baptisms of Sant John.
And according to belief, a swim will cure all your ails, aches and pains. Any water will do. You can swim in the sea or in a lake or even just bathe your face with the morning dew and you will be sin-free and cured!
This is definately a much safer midnight tradition than jumping over bonfires! Drown your sins - don't burn them!
If you are on the beaches of Barcelona you will not be alone. Thousands of students and young people gather on the playas (mostly on Bogatell and Mar Bella) to celebrate the Nit de Sant Joan. Many choose to swim their sins away by taking a dip in the sea at midnight! The water temperature of the Barcelona is around 20-21 degrees at this time of year.
Watching the sunrise is an important part of it all and a good excuse for partying all night. Sunrise will be at around 06.15 on 23rd June.
Herbs!
Herbs are a big element of Snat Joan. Herbs are said to have curative powers, that are 100 times stronger on the night of Sant Joan. Thyme, Rosemary and Verbena (the herb that gave name to the fiestas!) are collected and eaten. The herb Verbena was offered to the Gods in ancient times. It has a very powerful smell and some say it has aphrodisiac properties.
Fireworks!
There is a strong tradition of fireworks in Catalonia purportedly stemming back to the days of the arab invasions. Each barrio in Barcelona has its own firework display and huge all-night bonfires fuelled by collections of old furniture! In the barrios you will find dancing and celebrations in the plazas, street parties, music and entertainment.
Food!
Food is always a big part of a Catalan festival. it is a tradition to eat 'Coca' which is a bread base. Then top it with fillings of various kinds. The size of the bread should be twice as long as it is wide!
Enjoy the festival! And as the saying goes. "Fred per Nadal i calor per Sant Joan, salut per tot l'any" which means "Cold for Christmas, warm for Sant Joan, health for the whole year!"
Bangs!
Sant Joan is a big bang if a festival but there is one slightly annoying aspect. The firecracker (petardos) shops and huts spring up all over Barcelona and are open a full week before the Night of Sant Joan.
So be prepared for many many small and big bangs on the days before, and after the festival! It can drive you crazy if you live in a lively neighbourhood and you can forget the siestas this week!
If you don't like loud bangs, then the weekend of the 23rd June is a good time to go on a weekend trip to France. Don't go to the Balearic Islands of Mallorca, Menorca or Ibiza. They celebrate Sant Joan too as does the whole of Spain!
Have Bang! a bang! great BANG!bang!bang! time!
The Barcelona metro and trams are open all night on 23rd June by the way, which is good because the Taxis in Barcelona charge an extra supplement of around 5 euros between midnight aand 06.00!
