Hey there my ghouls!!!
Tonight we´re celebrating the summer solstice here in Spain. In my city we call it the night of San Xuan (I´m from the northern coast). It´s honestly one of my favourite celebrations throughout the year, so for my first blog post, I decided to share a bit of our traditios with y´all.
The first thing we did today was decorate the natural springs near our home using flowers, leaves and ribbons-we call this engalanar les fontes. Many of us also wear white today, since it´s supposed to bring good luck.
When night falls we head into the differents beaches around the city, we make small bonfires along the shore and we jump them several times for different purposes: if you jump alone seven times over the fire you will bring good luck into your life, if you jump hand in hand with your partner your love will remain strong and if you bring your child close to the fire they´ll stay healthy and won´t get sick!
(people who live in the mountains usually pick spots close to rivers or in the cases where there is not a single mass of water close they just celebrate in the fields).
At midnight the big bonfires are lit and when I say big...I MEAN BIGGG
People gather close to them and throw pieces of paper and dried leaves, written with what they wish the fire to take away from their lives-worries, illness, painful memories. Students have a tradition of throwing their old books and notebooks into the fire, saying goodbye to the past school year.
(I´ve done that myself several times when I was a student and honestly...it feels fkn great LOL)
At one in the morning the fireworks start and so does the music! We dance, drink, laugh and bathe in the cold sea water to cleanse and purify the body (some people only wash their face and feet instead).
I may have gotten sick a couple of times after taking that midnight dip but its totally worth it! Besides I never skip my traditions!
Do you celebrate the summer solstice in your country too?
If so what traditions do you have?
Let me know!
That´s all for now :)
Stay curious, my ghouls.
Your internet Spanish girl says bye-bye!!!
Comments
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discmaan_
I absolutely love San Xuan! I had never experienced it until I moved to Spain four years ago, and now it's one of my favorite celebrations of the year. Sitting around the bonfire, taking the midnight dip in the sea (even if it's freezing), drinking cider, and just enjoying the atmosphere is such a unique experience. It really feels magical. Thank u for sharing all these traditions. I had no idea about some of them, like decorating the springs. It was a lovely read! ≧◡≦
So glad you liked the blog and I hope my dear land has treated you well!!! ✨
by Heart_And_Fangs; ; Report
sueños
I need to go to Spain for the summer one day bc that all sounds amazing. Midnight bonfires and swimming sound so fun!
It sure is! And we have all sorts of events during summer so I'm sure you wouldn't get bored XD
by Heart_And_Fangs; ; Report
Vamptastic
This is FASCINATING, I've never even heard of this holiday, it clearly must be big in Spain.. so cool that its your favorite. The picture of the person in front of the fire could honestly be in times magazine its so good
It is! Although the name and the traditions change from region to region ^^. The two last pictures are from the press of my city! The first one is mine, I took it last year 🔥✨
by Heart_And_Fangs; ; Report