Day of St. John: The main summer holiday in Spain

Holidays in Spain are very popular also thanks to its numerous festivals. And it is not only due to the ability of Spaniards to have fun. They can make it varied. Even those holidays that are celebrated by virtually the whole Spain, each city has its own distinctive features. And the Day of St. John, which in 2010 Spain will celebrate since June 21, is no exclusion. St. John's Day, or as it is called in Spain, St. Juan, is a holiday akin to the Slavic pagan holiday Kupalle, with the only difference - in its rituals are added Christian symbols. Either way, for Spain the Day of St. John is, perhaps, the most important event of the summer. Below are listed the most striking places and dates of celebrations of St. John’s Day in different parts of Spain

Day of St. John in Malaga, 21-23 June 2010

Malaga is a city and province, where during the summer solstice are arranged large-scale celebrations on the coast. The peak of the holiday in Malaga is 23 June, when the embankments of the city and other resorts of the Costa del Sol attract tourists and residents of the province in order to burn at the stake specially prepared grotesque stuffed puppets called juas. Hotels, apartment rentals and villa rentals in Malaga for the holiday are available online on the portal www.andalusia-travel.com
The night of St. John in Santiago de Compostela, June 23, 2010

Holidays in Spain are often very similar to vacations somewhere near Moscow. Thus, the celebration of the night of St. John in Santiago de Compostela, this ancient Spanish town in the province of Galicia, is not much different from the Slavic similar rites. Here, the Spaniards burn numerous bonfires and jump over them, confident that when jumping all evil is burnt in the fire. So let it be.

Festival of San Juan in San Pedro Manrique, 23-24 June 2010

Residents of the town of San Pedro Manrique of Castile and Leon region went further in its efforts to celebrate the Spanish version of the Kupalle. They do not just jump over the fire. They “walk on fire”. Famous Paso del Fuego, or "walk on the fire" has made San Pedro Manrique, this small town in northern Spain, famous throughout the world.

Fiesta de San Juan in Ciudadele de Menorca, 23-24 June 2010

Its traditions in celebrating the Day of St. John shows at the end of summer the resort of Ciudadele de Menorca, located on the island of Menorca in the Balearic archipelago. Here one of the central events of the festival is the massive procession through the streets of the city in which participate riders dressed in national costumes. About 100 riders each year show their skills in horsemanship. The audience, of course, is enthusiastically applauding.

Day of St. John in Barcelona, 23-24 June 2010

Of course, if we are talking about general Spanish holidays we must mention Barcelona. Celebration of the Day of St. John in Barcelona is luxurious, with plenty of fireworks, bonfires, singing, flamenco and piercing guitar solos at every corner. At the same time in Barcelona there are a number of its unique traditions. Thus, the fire, which will light bonfires on the streets of the capital of Catalonia, should be descended from a mountain called Flama del Canigó, which means "The flame of Canigó". This mountain is the symbol of the Pyrenees. An integral part of the celebration in Barcelona is "Verbena" - massive celebration in the open air and burning of old furniture in the fires.