Saint John's Eve June 23: origins, rituals and bonfires Surely you have ever seen posts on Instagram or TikTok about a night party on the beach, during the summer, in which there are a lot of people and they light bonfires... Right? It's about celebrating the holidays
Surely you have ever seen posts on Instagram or TikTok about a night party on the beach, during the summer, where there are a lot of people and they light bonfires... Right?
It is about the celebration of the parties of San Juan, in which The shortest night of the year welcomes the arrival of the summer solstice.
Superstitions, fire and rituals on the night of San Juan. This is this magical night.
When is San Juan night?
It is celebrated every year in the night of June 23, the eve of Saint John the Baptist on June 24.
¿Where San Juan is celebrated?
This holiday is celebrated in many parts of the world, both in the southern and northern hemispheres. Also in Spain, of course. In fact, in our country St. John's Day is a holiday.
Among the traditions of the San Juan festivities, lighting bonfires and jumping over them or bathing in rivers, beaches, streams or fountains to purify oneself with the purpose of freeing oneself from the bad and being able to embrace the good.
And thus, start the summer on the right foot! 
To understand the traditions of Saint John, it is necessary to understand a little about its history.
The history of San Juan Night began as a ritual of pagan origin associated with the arrival of the summer solstice, whose ritual consisted of lighting a bonfire in honor of the sun to give it strength.
FromJune 21st the days They become shorter, until the winter solstice arrives and they thought that with the bonfires they would give more strength to the sun, so that it would shine all year round.
Oh, if this were possible, you too would spend the winter lighting fires, wouldn't you? 
Well, Christianity decided to adopt this date, in honor of the day of birth of Saint John the Baptist, one of the most important prophets of Christianity, whose father, to commemorate the birth of his son and announce it, ordered a bonfire to be lit.
Christianity picked up this tradition and added it to the calendar, so light bonfires every year!
For everything it has superstition and magic this night is considered the perfect night to perform spells to ward off bad spirits and attract good ones.
Now that you know the History of San Juan night and its meaning, do you dare to do these spells for San Juan night?
Tradition implies the presence of water and fire for the rituals on the night of San Juan.
There are debates about when St. John's Day is. The original date of this festival is associated with the summer solstice, since this happens, according to the calendar, between June 21 and 22.
The festival of San Juan is celebrated between the night of the 23rd and the early morning of the 24th in places like Valencia.
In some cities likeAlicante, the festival of the night of San Juan, also known as the San Juan festivities, is celebrated between the night of June 24, on San Juan's Day and the early morning of the 25th. The Alicante bonfires are some of the most famous in Spain.
The most important thing is to celebrate the party and enjoy this magical night with friends or family, don't you think?
The rituals of the San Juan festival on this magical night are as old as people and with the passage of time some traditions continue to live on.
Always with two objectives:
The three main elements for rituals are fire, water and herbs. With these three elements, we can do the main simple rituals of the night of San Juan.
Fire helps us burn the bad and leave bad luck and negative energies behind.
One of the most famous rituals is to jump over the San Juan bonfire to ward off evil spirits throughout the year.
Do you dare to jump over the fire?
Water is another fundamental element: water purifies.
Tradition says that you have to bathe and jump waves, this way you will obtain health and happiness throughout the year.
(But if the water is very cold, it is better to wet your feet, lest you get cold.
)
Herbs and medicinal plantssuch as rosemary, thyme, fennel, fern, common mallow, etc. that grow in the ground They are used to increase their beneficial and healing effects on health.
These herbs, together with sea water, can also be used to do facial rituals on the night of San Juan and achieve more physical beauty.
We have talked about the main elements that are used in the simple rituals of the night of San Juan.
But now you want to know how the night of San Juan is celebrated in Spain and what the main rituals are, right?
Well let's go with them:
The jewel in the crown of the rituals for the night of San Juan.
Light bonfires and jump over them It is one of the most important things to do on the night of San Juan. This will give us luck and protection all year round.
Valencia, Alicante and Galicia are three of the places where the San Juan festivities are most famous.
There is no set number on how many times you have to jump, but what is clear is that they must be odd, so, if you jump once, you will already be chasing away the bad spirits and you will comply with the beliefs of the night of San Juan.
Specifically, In the Valencian Community the ritual is to jump over the bonfires seven times. Only suitable for the daring. 
Instead, In Galicia the ritual of the bonfires on the night of San Juan is to jump nine times and also saying out loud and with force, while you jump ¡Good luck!(witches out).
Sometimes it is possible to jump over the bonfires with music to make the experience more rhythmic and magical.
Rhythms and traditions at the same time?
In San Juan everything is possible!
Another very widespread ritual of the San Juan festival on the coast is take a dip in the sea and jump the waves after midnight, while the moon shines.
Tradition says that it will serve to eliminate everything negative from your life and ensure health throughout the year.
The water during this magical night has healing and miraculous properties.
Well, let's take advantage, lest it be true. 
Another important ritual is to make wishes and write phrases for the night of San Juan.
Tradition says that you have to make wishes on San Juan night with phrases written on papers.
What is burned at the bonfire of Saint John?
You have to make sure that the paper with the wishes is burned whole in the bonfire, otherwise your wishes will not be fulfilled.
Objects that have been in our lives during the year and that we want to get rid of, such as old wooden furniture, are also thrown into the fire.
To the fire everything bad!
Another ritual to get rid of all evils is to purify yourself with a laurel branch on the magical night of San Juan.
In the Valencian Community or Catalonia, pyrotechnics and the launching of firecrackers gain importance.
InAlicante the Bonfires of San Juan are the official festivities of the city. To celebrate there are mascletás, fireworks castles and gigantic figures like ninots: the city is filled with music and colors.
In the province of Cádiz, rag dolls called Juanes are burned which represent a man and a woman, in addition to bonfires on the beaches, fireworks and festivals.
In Extremadura there is also the tradition of making dolls out of paper, rags or straw and then burning them at the stake.
The festival of San Juan in Galicia also prepares the famous burned with their spell to which they attribute healing properties and serves to scare the girls away (witches in Galician).
As you have read, the rituals on the night of San Juan are very important in many parts of Spain.
If you are in Spain, you cannot leave without experiencing it. 
Other people choose to perform complete rituals on the beach to eliminate the bad and attract the good:
And with this spell the bad things will be eliminated.
The night of San Juan in Alicante is a very representative festival with a lot of international tourist interest.
These festivals are celebrated with music, gunpowder and fire. The Alicante bonfires are impressive.
The origin of the festival is burning of useless objects on the summer solstice.
The festival begins on June 20 and lasts until June 29. In the days before St. John's Eve, the streets are planted papier-mâché monuments with satirical images called bonfire (bonfire)
It is the most important element of the festival: they are monuments made of wood, cardboard and cork that are located in different places in the city.
Each monument has a different theme where his dolls are represented in critical situations or satires.
There are two types of bonfire (bonfire). The children's bonfires have a color, aesthetics and a children's theme that is very different from the adult bonfires.
These monuments are burned on June 24 with the famous cream night, the highlight of these holidays.
Bonfires burn throughout the city and Firefighters, to help people cope with the heat, carry out the popular banya (wet) Throwing water at the attendees.
During the festivities there are booths installed where the figs and the cokes (a kind of tuna, onion and pine nut empanada) and popular festivals are held.
You already know that in Spain there is no shortage of delicious food at parties.
And how much we Spaniards like a party!
We also proceed to the floral offering to the patron saint of the city, the Virgin of Remedy, on June 21 and 22.
Every day at two in the afternoon they run pyrotechnic shows, the famous mascletás.
(Yes, yes, we know this all reminds you of the Fallas, and rightly so.)
Of course, if you are going to enjoy one, we recommend that you bring earplugs to protect your ears, since the noise caused by gunpowder and rockets is deafening.
Once the day 24 cream has passed Between June 25 and 29, to end the San Juan festivities, the fireworks competition is held on Postiguet beach and in the old town you can enjoy its medieval market.
Now you know what to do on the night of San Juan, where to celebrate it and why it has so much tourist interest.
With everything we've told you, we're sure we've got you excited and you really want to come and enjoy these holidays.
Do you want to discover them in person? Alicante is less than 2 hours from Valencia. 
The Saint John's night in Valencia It is another magical night and if you are in Valencia you cannot miss it.
It is celebrated between the night of June 23 and 24 with bonfires on the beaches where people gather to jump the bonfire, the waves of the sea and do the rest of the rituals of the night of San Juan.
The bonfires of San Juan in Valencia and the baths can be held in the beaches of Malvarrosa and Cabanyal, since the city council gives permission that day.
In addition, the town hall provides you with free firewood to make bonfires.
What more could you ask for!
For you to fully enjoy the magic of the night of San Juan in Valencia We are going to give you a series of tips.
You already know that if, in addition to coming to Valencia to enjoy the San Juan festivities, you also want to do a Spanish course in summer to learn or improve your Spanish, in Hispania, Spanish school we are waiting for you with open arms
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