Thursday, June 23, 2011

Sant Joan

Tomorrow is another holiday here in Spain, the second one this month.  If I remember correctly there are 15 holidays in which Jeff gets off of work, compared to the measly 9 in the States if you are lucky. Once again everything will be shutdown tomorrow except for maybe a cafe or two. 

The holiday we are celebrating is called Sant Joan (John in English).  It is a celebration of the Summer Solstice that actually starts tonight and goes through Friday.  From what Jeff and I have been told there will be lots of drinking, fireworks and bonfires on the beach.  We live about 1-2 blocks from the beach so we probably won't be getting much sleep tonight, the Spaniards party ALL NIGHT, no kidding.  It isn't just the 20 year olds out all night, but people of all ages. 

The idea is that on the night of Sant Joan the sun reaches its highest point, before beginning to drop. The sun is seen as a symbol of fertility and wealth and so it must be given strength. The strength is provided by bonfires and fireworks lit throughout the city for Sant Joan.

There are said to be three symbols of Sant Joan – fire, water and herbs. Fire symbolises purity, and for this reason fires are lit. Water symbolises healing. Therefore, on this night, in some areas people bathe in the sea. Herbs symbolise remedy and some claim that for the night of Sant Joan their healing qualities are enhanced one hundred times over. These are often picked on the night of Sant Joan.

The official food of Sant Joan is the "Coque", which is a bread like cake filled with nuts, fruit or cream.  One thing they all share in common is that all Coques contain Anise. 



I will post pictures this weekend or next week of our Sant Joan experience tonight.

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