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Follow the Spanish ritual to attract love, health and prosperity. On June 24th Spain is celebrating the nativity of San Juan, St. John the Baptist with fire and water and lots of different rituals for good luck. And this happens at the same time as the summer solstice and when Spain welcomes the arrival of summer. In Spain, the tradition to celebrate San Juan is strong and the celebrations look a little different depending on where in the country you are.
John the Baptist is called San Juan in Spanish and the celebrations take place on the night before the 24th, Noche de San Juan. The fiestas all over the country are made up of many different rituals and traditions. Many of them are just local but most of them focus on three elements; magical, healing herbs and plants, water and fire.
San Juan’s mission in life was to pave the way for Jesus and he is a very important person in Christianity. He was quite the eccentric, living in the desert and baptising people in the River Jordan. Therefore, water is a significant part of the celebrations and since water is such an important element the fiestas are especially large-scale along the coasts.
On the Noche de San Juan, by tradition women will collect herbs and other medicinal plants. Which ones to be picked differ depending on area, but common plants are fennel, rosemary, St John’s wort and elder flowers. In certain places the plants are hung in the doorway to fend off evil spirits, but more common is to put the herbs and plants in a container with water. You then leave the container outside your home during the night and let the morning dew mix with the water. In the morning you wash your face with the herb water to attract good health and luck. The water is supposed to have attracted healing powers from the herbs.
Water symbolises purity and fertility. Tradition has it that water during the Noche de San Juan has extra superpowers. Some go skinny dipping with their backs toward the moon to get rid of negative energies and increase fertility. And according to the tradition, the water with the herbs and plants will get extra strong magical powers if it is taken from seven different springs before it is mixed with the plants.
On certain beaches it is tradition for women to swim in the sea until they have been hit by nine waves to increase their chances of getting pregnant. And in other places it is said that if you wash your clothes with clean spring water at midnight you will stay young and healthy throughout the year.
Just like the Brits, the Spaniards like their bonfires. And Noche de San Juan is all about fire. Around midnight, fires are being lit everywhere on the beaches but also more inland. On top of the bonfires they put figures of the devil or a witch. Originally, the fires were used to burn old rags and other unwanted items, but today the base for the fires are wooden structures and fire wood.
Traditional Spanish food is a big part of the celebrations; sardines, potatoes cooked in their own skins, maize bread and Paella. When the flames die down and the heat is less intense the jumping begins. You jump across the fire three times for good luck. In some places, you may chose to jump seven or nine times.
Three, seven and nine are the numbers considered to have the strongest magical powers of all numbers in Christianity but also in other religions and mythology. When you jump across the fire you may shout something of your choice.
In Galicia you would shout “meigas fora†to scare off the witches (Galician for “evil outâ€). This ritual is to attract good luck. And if you take flowers and plants, bind them together and hold them while jumping across the fire and throw them at the same time to your beloved who catches the flowers before they fall to the ground, you as a couple will have a joyous life together.
Sometimes, the participants drink Queimad. Queimada is a drink made from Galician augardente, sugar, coffee beans and fruit. Typically, while preparing the drink a spell or incantation is recited. Then the Queimada is set alight.
You can also burn herbs like lavender and mistletoes for good luck.
Do you want to be absolutely sure you will keep your promise? Then you may follow this ritual on Noche de San Juan: on the night you should think intently about your promise and what it entails. Then you walk up to a tree and cut a cross into the bark. That’s all. Now, you will never break your promise.
Noche de San Juan coincides with end of term for many students. Many traditions during this night targets students. One local tradition is for the student to stand in water and hold the books for the next exam while shouting “San Juanâ€, “San Juanâ€. This is to ensure good results. Another tradition is to purify and cleanse oneself after the finals by throwing the schoolbooks on the fire.
Many of the rituals require the outmost attention to detail in order to work. And, of course, close proximity to water will supercharge any ritual.
For example, there is a ritual for success and prosperity. It requires a flower, a coin and a piece of fruit. You stand with your back towards the sea and the water. First you throw the flower over your shoulder. This is to attract love into your life. Next you throw the fruit the same way. This is to attract good health. And lastly, you throw the coin, also over your shoulder, to attract prosperity. Then you turn around and approach the sea. You let the waves hit you seven or nine times and as a final step you wash your face with salt water. You have now done what you can to attract happiness, health and success into your life.
In Alicante, they take Noche de San Juan very seriously. Already in May, the task to nominate the contenders to the queen of the fiesta “Bella del Foc†(The beauty of the fire), starts. Every neighbourhood has its own committee presenting a candidate to the festival queen.
The festival begins on the 20th, with the fires being built as well as large cardboard figures. The, often humorous, cardboard figures fill the streets of Alicante during the coming days. There are also large tents erected for people to use as places for dancing. Food is served in some of the tents to give people the opportunity to taste local specialities. Â During this time the city is filled with parades with different themes; for example, an international folklore parade and one with the participants of the Bella del Foc-competition.
Each day at 2 pm fireworks take place in the square “Plaza de los Lucerosâ€.  The level of noise can be deafening with all the crackers and rockets going off. The festivities culminate with all the fires being burnt down together with the cardboard figures, on the night leading up to the 24th.
However, the festival doesn’t stop there. Until the 29th there are firework competitions taking place on the El Postiquet – beach and a medieval market takes over the historic quarters.
So, what are you waiting for? Just hop on a plane and join the wonderful celebrations of Noche de San Juan – who knows, perhaps the ritual for happiness and success really does work?
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