After letting a candle burn all the way down, the next morning the paper is burned with the remaining wax, and the whole lot is buried, symbolising a planted seed of hope. Back on the home front, some folks also stash a sprig of cedar under their pillows, along with a wish written on a piece of paper.Some who are particularly superstitious believe that taking the plunge on this day will help boost a woman’s fertility. John’s Eve, as another ritual to get wishes granted is to jump backwards into seven (or, again, nine) waves as the new day arrives (some even take off their clothes to do this, but it depends on the individual). The sea is also an important factor during St.In some places, in addition to wood, cloth effigies of popular figures are also burned. According to tradition, at the stroke of midnight you need to make a wish and jump over the bonfire up to seven or nine times (the number varies according to the region, but it’s always an odd number). Bonfires are a central element here, meant to cleanse the bad and usher in a year of good luck.Ancient beliefs were blended with newer religious impulses to result in one of the most deep-seated customs in Spain.Īfter sundown, groups of friends generally head for the nearest beach, bringing food and drink to pass a convivial evening swapping stories and trying to rid themselves of the bad memories of the previous years. Several interesting rituales form part of this process: This celebration has always seemed to imbue the places where it’s held with a positive energy (even, some might say, a kind of mystical halo), especially noticeable in the country’s coastal communities. The night of June 23rd in Spain is celebrated with particular style and enthusiasm – revolving around hundreds of bonfires on beaches across the country, set to help participants rid themselves of evil spririts, as well as big, colourful street festivals in some big cities. Such traditions come into play on the Noche de San Juan because it correlates and often coincides with Midsummer, aka the June solstice – which was celebrated by Celts, Ango-Saxons, and other pre-Christians back to at least the ancient Romans, to mark the end of spring and the arrival of summer. John’s Eve, that folks in Latin America and Europe (and most especially Spain) make a big deal of, with celebrations, rituals, and superstitions that hark back to ancestral – even pre-Christian – times. Observed especially in many of the world’s Catholic countries, the feast day of the Christian New Testament‘s St.
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