Fiesta of Saint John, Madrid

The people of Madrid love partying and the Fiesta of Saint John provides them an excellent excuse to revel in night long conviviality. The evening preceding Saint John's day on the night of the 23 June is a night of celebrations for the people of Madrid. Exceptional revelry inundates the greater part of Spain in the evening before the Saint John' Day on 23rd of June. To go by the legend, Saint John is basically a Catholic celebration. The event also marks the longest day of the year and carries strong connotations of pre-Christian Celtic and Iberian rituals.

The evening is celebrated with a big bang and revelry rules the heads and hearts of Madrilenos during this day. Colorful fireworks illuminate the twilight sky in a festive prelude to the national holiday of the Feast of John the Baptist. The fireworks create magic that captivates the heart of Madrilenos and travelers. Ancient traditions observed the summer solstice as the most important event of the solar year and fire was celebrated as the symbol of abundance, purity and fertility. So even today, the solstice festivities have fire as their central focus. Each neighborhood stages fireworks and all-night bonfires are fuelled by collections of old furniture, but the biggest celebration is at Montjuic with a fabulous fireworks display and a colossal bonfire.

It is a fiesta of music and dance. Music and dance dominates just about every street and corner of Madrid during this day. There are dances and celebrations in the squares, street parties, music and entertainment throughout the city, and in all the homes traditional cake or 'coca' is eaten and sparkling wine is drunk.

In Madrid there are many municipalities that hold these events without authorization - in fact the majority does it without any prior sanction. Visit the Plaza de San Juan which is main venue and you can also go to Las Huertas to catch all the electrifying action. People in towns and villages all over Spain come together for a night of mystery, where the symbols of water and fire play an important part. Bonfires are lit in streets and town squares and some people with daring adventure instincts even go as far as fire walking which is the ceremony of walking barefoot over hot stones or a bed of embers.

The Fiesta of Saint John is celebrated annually in Spain from 23rd June, which stretches till 25th June. During this two day celebration, whichever part of this city you may be in you'll encounter an indomitable spirit and love of life. So revel in the electrically charged atmosphere of Madrid.