"From early morning on June 23 until the sun rises on June 24, many towns in Spain celebrate the longest day of the year and shortest night. Tradition, originating in the pagan rituals of the summer solstice, dictates that great bonfires be built representing the power of the sun and to help it revitalize its energy. People dance and jump around the fires to purify themselves and to protect themselves from the demons'(the night) influence."
This past Thursday was the day of St. John the Baptist, one of the largest celebrations in Spain. Wednesday night consisted of a massive party that occupied the entire strip of beach at the Barcelonete stop on the metro, with an atmosphere full of people, fire, fireworks, liquor, and the like. Although previously warned by our AIFS advisors to stray away from the madness, my classmates and I couldn't bare to miss out on such a festive opportunity.
Cava, the traditional sparkling white wine so prevalent in Spain, is the most consumed beverage on this night. Naturally, my roommate and I jumped on the Cava bandwagon and bought a bottle pre-celebration. After celebrating a bit with our fellow American classmates, we took the adventure down to the beach.
It was just as described by all of my professors. Madness indeed. Fireworks were being blasted off by the minute and restaurants framing the shore turned into mini clubs, the alternative hot spot from the beach. The only disappointment I had was missing out on seeing the correfoc, where groups of Spainards dress as devils and light a parade of fireworks for others to run, dance, or do whatever they please under, while evidently using extreme caution.
So why is this celebration so important? Why is it more significant than just one huge party? And what does John the Baptist represent on such an occasion, you may wonder.... Well, to paraphrase the Universidad Autonoma De Barcelona Newsletter:
"St John the Baptist is known as the Precursor of Christ, rebirth and the light to the world, which explains the link to the solstice. Bonfires were lit to symbolize the light of the World.....
Water also has a special significance in the night of St. John--the Baptist. It represents prosperity, abundance and fertility."
This may explain the importance of a celebration close to the water and the abundance of fire. Although it has a reputation for a night of chaos, everything remains very symbolic.
The most similar celebration I could tie this to in the U.S is our Independence Day. My professors agreed on the similarity. This celebration was a bit different though. It was much more out of control. We were advised to bring nothing else but our metro pass and any amount of euros sufficient enough to get through the night. The amount of theft at this celebration is even worse than it is on a normal day on Las Ramblas,which is still a pretty large amount. Two girls in my group had some of their belongings stolen right out of their lap on this night. This reminded me to be extremely careful with my valuables. For a while, when I began to get comfortable in the Barcelona atmosphere, I became a bit more relaxed about clutching onto my wallet and phone wherever I went. The thefts that happened to my classmates were a huge wake up call for me.
All in all, it was an extremely fascinating night. Although I cut the night a little before sunrise, I still had a fantastic time immersing myself in this country's largest celebration.
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