subject: See the sky in flames - the Night of San Juan [print this page] Author: Gail Hewitt Author: Gail Hewitt
June 24th is St Johns Day [San Juan] and at midnight becomes the night of fire. Visit the squares and streets before nightfall and witness huge piles of wood and as soon as dusk falls they burst into flames, lighting up the night sky and turns the atmosphere into something quite magical.
The background to this ritual is the idea that on this night, nature unfolds its special powers and for 1 day in the year, the sun is the power behind all existence and for 1 night of the year, all evil spirits are without protection due to the fact that the period of darkness is so short.
Like many festivals, San Juan, has its roots in heathen custom, and have been held in Mallorca by Romans, Phoenicians, Moors and Jews. The church, having to accept that people were going to celebrate this night whatever happened, had to invent a church holiday to make the whole event acceptable. John the Baptist, had his birthday on 24 June and this festival therefore became the Night of Saint John La Noche de San Juan.
The highlight of this festival is a ritual in which homage is paid to the sun with fireworks and drums. During the 24 hour festival, there is also a lot to be done to prepare for the rest of the year. In Manacor in Mallorca, for example, children who are 1 year of age or less are presented to the village on the eve of the celebration between the split branches of a tree called vimer, not without some deafening crying or screaming, as can be imagined.
If you take a bath in the sea at sunrise, it is said that you will be free from illness for the entire year. Also is you pick an handful of St Johns wort shortly before dawn on this day and place them in a bottle together with water or olive oil, it will help as a remedy for cuts and wounds. Women to have planted 13 chick peas before midsummers day will see how many years they will have to wait for their suitor, or if they already have one, how many children they will bear.About the Author:
