Tonight, thousands of fires all across Spain, from La Coruña to Alicante, from Cadiz to the Basque Country, will light the shorthest night of the year.
People will eat grilled sardines, different types of meats and sausages while dancing and singing around the fires. There will be verbenas, concerts and folk music. Finally the brave ones will jump over the fire and even more, in some places they will walk barefoot over the burning embers.
In the Basque country they have Akelarres wich are meetings of witches around the fire.
In Galicia they say tonight is the night of the Meigas, the Galician fairies.
In Alicante city there are Fallas and fireworks like in Valencia for the spring equinox.
We are celebrating the Christian festivity of Sant Jhon, but they say what we celebrate is the pagan festival for the summer solstice, as they do in many other European and Mediterranean countries.
Some people say this ancient tradition comes from Celts, others from Greeks, it is not clear, what is clear is that it existed long time before Christianity spread across Europe.
The spirits seem to be here in Madrid tonight considering the scary storm with hailstone and lots thunders included we are having at the moment I write these lines.
San Xoan, A Coruña Fogueres de Sant Joan, Alicante city Walking the embers in San Pedro Manrique (Soria Province) Jaleo (dancing horses), Ciutadella de Menorca (Balearic Islands)