Historically, Saint John’s Eve, as well as the night of the feast day, has been venerated in the practice of Vodou (or voodoo) in Louisiana. In Castille and Leon it is highlighted the Firewalking Festival where barefoot men cross the live coals of a prepared bonfire. In some towns the celebration is supplemented with more festivities and dances. John the Baptist), which marks the Basque Summer Solstice. Bonfires of Saint John are the most important festival, and take place from June 20 th to June 24 th.īonfires are also used in the Basque Country to celebrate San Juan Eguna (the feast of St. Many other cities and towns all across Spain having their own unique traditions associated with the festival. The traditional midsummer party in Spain is the celebration in honor of San Juan This is especially strong in north-western areas of Spain where San Xoán festivals take place all over the region bonfires are lit and a set of firework displays usually takes place. This is done to cleanse the body from bad luck and give good luck for the following year. river, lake or even bathtub) and, at midnight, fall backwards into it three, seven or twelve times. After sunset, people travel to a beach or any accessible body of water (e.g. On the island of Puerto Rico, which had been named San Juan Bautista, after the saint, a night-long celebration, called “La Noche de San Juan” is held. It is the day when the medieval wise men and women would gather special herbs that they needed for the rest of the year to cure people. In Denmark, the celebration is called sankthans or sankthansaften (“St. John’s Eve at the precise moment at which the saint was born. The minute spores of this fern were reputed to confer invisibility on their possessor if gathered at the only time when they were said to be visible, i.e., on St. Farmers walk through their fields with lit torches and then toss those torches on the bonfire for crop blessing.īracken ( Pteris aquilina) is sometimes called “brake” or “female fern”. People might strike each other lightly with hocusfian (this may be the stalks of gunnera or giant rhubarb plants growing along the riverbanks) to ward off future illnesses. Most troublesome local weeds would be burned in the bonfire to help stave them off. In County Cork in Southwest Ireland & County Louth in Northeast Ireland the night is commonly referred to as Bonfire Night and is among the busiest nights of the year for the fire services.īonfire ashes would be scattered on the crops for good luck. John’s Eve, when bonfires are lit on hilltops. Many towns and cities have “Midsummer Carnivals”, with fairs, concerts and fireworks, around the same time. In some rural parts of Ireland, particularly in the north-west, Bonfire Night is held on St.
People believed that the witches flew past on their broomsticks on their way to the Broken. According to popular belief, St John’s Eve was charged with a special power where magical forces were also at work. If the weather is good, they then proceed to a local bonfire venue. The Danes often meet with family and friends to have dinner together.
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