Experience one of the most popular festivals in Mallorca – Nit de Sant Joan
Exactly six months after Christmas, Spaniards celebrate the arrival of summer on the shortest night of the year. The eve of St. John’s day (24.06) is called in Mallorca Nit de Sant Joan, but is also often called by the Catalans Nit de Foc (foc = fire). Every year in Mallorca from the 23rd to the 24th of June the Nit de Sant Joan is celebrated, you should definitely see this. It is a tradition to organize a barbecue on the beach. Families and friends sit by the sea, tea-lights and torches are set up on the beach and in some places even campfires are lit. White clothes and the midnight jumping over the fire and swimming in the sea bring luck.
Especially in Palma Sant Joan is celebrated with a big party around the Parc de la Mar. The highlight of this event is the Correfoc, the so-called firewalking of the devils. Be there when the Dimonis (devils) celebrate the Correfoc at sunset. Devils emit sparks, dragons spit fire, a real wild feast. The whole spectacle is accompanied by drums and percussion. This custom is said to banish the evil spirits and demons that could bring disaster.
Sant Joan is a special date in the Catalan calendar, which marks the summer solstice and the date of birth of John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of Jesus, in the Christian faith. Today, however, the religious aspect takes a back seat. This important date has been celebrated by cultures around the world for a long time before Christianity and continues to play an important role in a number of countries.
The biggest celebration takes place in Mallorca. It is a worth seeing spectacle, a day on which the island is upside down.
