Sant Joan, the Catalan fire festival, ignites on the 23rd of June

Barcelona (CNA).- Barcelona prepares itself for Sant Joan, its festival of fire, which is celebrated on the night of the 23^rd and on the day off of the 24^th of June. The festival finds its origins in the summer solstice, the pagan holiday for the longest day of the year. The festival is known as ‘nit de foc’, and it is when people revel in the fire, jumping over the many bonfires (or ‘fogueres’) that speckle the Catalan beaches and marvelling at the firework display, which culminates at midnight. Sant Joan also has deeper traditions, such as that of the Canigó Flame, which since being celebrated in secret during the years of the Francoist dictatorship, has come to symbolise, in part, Catalan identity. Here, a flame is lit in a beacon in the Pyrenees and is slowly used to light up all Catalan territories, ending in Sant Jaume square in Barcelona. Other traditions are eating ‘coques’, sweet bread cakes with candied fruit, and drinking cava. It is estimated that more than 1,630,000 ‘coques’ will be eaten this Sant Joan, and in the region of Barcelona alone, about 920,000 artisan ‘cocas’ and pastries will be sold. The Council of Barcelona is also prepared for any eventual complications: nearly 3,500 officers from the Mossos d’Esquadra (the Catalan Police Force) have been deployed, and 300 workers will clean the beaches, to ready them for the following day of the 24^th of June.

In June, one can hear more and more fireworks going off on the streets of Barcelona, all in expectation of Sant Joan, the Catalan, fire-lit version of the summer solstice. Although Sant Joan is celebrated on the 23^rd and 24^th of June, that doesn’t stop children, youngsters and adults from indulging in firecrackers in the weeks leading up to the party; for this, Barcelona hums, crackles, and booms throughout the whole month. The 24^th of June, Barcelona rests, as it is a day off.

Sant Joan (or Saint John), the most dazzling and loud celebration of the year, finds its origins in the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Sant Joan is a celebration of fire, and, equally, a celebration of the sun and the harvest. It dates back to the solstice pagan holiday, the longest day of the year.

The festival of fire is known as ‘nit de foc’ (‘fire night’ in Catalan), demarked by the bonfires, or ‘fogueres’, that speckle the beaches and all of Catalonia,

Although the actual holiday is on the 24^th, most happenings can be seen on the eve of Sant Joan, on the 23^rd of June. This is due to the fact that Sant Joan is the ‘night of fire’ (‘nit de foc’), where people celebrate by lighting bonfires (‘fogueres’) on the beaches, dancing around them in devil costumes, jumping over them, and, of course, setting off fireworks. Indeed, by nightfall, the occasional crackling, popping and booming of fireworks that had been heard throughout all of June will have increased, and it will be an almost constant background noise. The crescendo of fireworks reaches its peak at midnight, illuminating the night sky.

A symbol of Catalan identity

Festivals of fire are common throughout Catalonia, so much so that Sant Joan is thought of as a Catalan festival, although it is also celebrated in other regions such as Galicia. The most notable tradition is the Canigó Flame (Flama del Canigó). On the 22^nd of June, a beacon is lit on the peak of Canigó, which lies in the East of the Pyrenees. Then, from the fire of that beacon, people light torches, beginning a chain reaction, illuminating Catalan lands in Spain and beyond. The tradition means so much more, though, than a simple passing of the torch. It began when Francesc Pujades, a hiker from Northern Catalonia, took inspiration from the epic poem 'Canigó' by Jacint Verdaguer, and lit a fire on the eponymous mountaintop in 1955. This practice was kept a secret during the Francoist dictatorship and therefore became a symbol of Catalan resistance and identity. Nowadays, the flame is taken from Canigó to light torches in all of Catalonia, Valencia, Catalan parts of France, Andorra, Valencia, and west Aragon.

The Canigó flame tradition culminates with the arrival of the Canigó Flame, on the afternoon of the 23^rd of June, on the Plaza de Sant Jaume of Barcelona. From there, representatives of different neighbourhoods will ignite bonfires throughout the city. At the moment there are 15 planned, authorised by the City Council.

Other lesser-known symbols for Sant Joan are water and herbs, symbolising healing and remedy, respectively. This is why people jump into the sea on Sant Joan’s eve, or are thought to be cured faster on this night. Additionally, women will gather herbs such as Saint John’s wort as a tradition.

More than 1,630,000 ‘cocas’ to be eaten on Sant Joan

To celebrate, not everyone indulges in the flash and boom of the fireworks. Another way to enjoy the holiday is to eat ‘coca’, a rectangle shaped sweet bread with candied fruit, and to drink cava, the Catalan champagne.

This year, Catalans will eat more than 1,630,000 handmade Sant Joan ‘cocas’, a figure that is 2% higher than the previous year. According to forecasts from the Pastry Guild of Barcelona and Province, in the region of Barcelona alone about 920,000 artisan cakes and pastries will be sold. The president of the union, Elies Miró, explained that the most sold again is likely to be the traditional ‘cocas’ with fruit and nuts, followed by ‘cocas’ with pork, and then those with pine nuts and filled with cream. But this year there will be novelties in the bakeries, such as a croissant ‘coca’, stuffed with mascarpone and caramelised cherry, or a cheesecake ‘coca’, complete with strawberries and pistachios. On average, the prices of the ‘coques’ will remain between 16 and 35 euros, depending on the size, thanks to a decrease in the prices of ingredients like pineapple.

Nearly 3,500 Mossos officers will work on Sant Joan

The Catalan Police Force, known as the Mossos d’Esquadra, has deployed nearly 3,500 troops for San Joan to ensure public safety, public order and mobility, a 24.45% increase over last year. The Minister of Interior, Jordi Jané, presented this data on Wednesday. Jané called for “prudence” on highways, due to Sant Joan coinciding with a Thursday night: “The last time this happened, in 2011, many ate ‘coca’ in service areas”. The Minister has recommended that people who can anticipate their exit, and if not, that they be prepared for possible hold-ups, for example, by having enough fuel in their vehicle. The Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) estimates that about 525,000 vehicles will leave the metropolitan area of Barcelona on Thursday from 3 pm until Friday in the early afternoon.

Additionally, to ensure the safety of all events, the City Council will activate a specific device that coordinates services involved, especially the Barcelona Fire and Police Departments. This device will focus mainly on those areas that have a more intensive celebration.

More than 300 workers to clean the beaches

308 workers and 51 service vehicles will work from early San Joan, on the day of the 24^th, to clean the beaches of Barcelona after the festival. In 2015, there were 55,000 people, according to figures provided by the City Council. In addition to the 308 operators and 51 service vehicles, 1,200 cardboard bins have been installed to complement those that are permanent, along with 84 additional containers. This special operation will begin at 6:00 am in order to have the beaches ready for the use of bathers and visitors at 10:00 am.

Finally, it should be noted that the Metro will operate continuously for 45 hours, from 5 am on Thursday, the 23^rd of June, until 2 am on the 25^th. The Barcelona Metro will also have a special deployment of personnel to meet the influx of visitors who will travel in the metro area to the beaches and towards downtown to celebrate the festival.