Kevin's Watch

I had the most magnificent night here in Barcelona last night. Any of you planning a visit to barcelona, try and get here for June 23rd, St. John's Eve. The tradition is to eat some sort of pastry at home, drink sparkling wine, then take the kids out to the street to set off fireworks and bangers and make lots of noise and smoke! We went to a club with a terrace overlooking the city (area called Tibidado..?) and watched the fireworks all night. It was spectacular. The beach here is supposed to be fantastic too, with lots of bonfires and hundreds of thousands of people, but it was too late to go by the time we'd left the club. (it is such a big night here that it is one of only 3 nights of the year with Christmas and New Year that the taxis are allowed to make an extra charge)

I remember about six years ago I went to a little island off the northwest coast of Ireland called Tory Island, and they had the same tradition there - well it was Guinness instead of Cava - but big fires and fireworks. Looking over to the mainland from the island you could see fires all along the coast and on the hills.

Now the question is, what had St. john got to do with fire? Was he burnt to death? A pyromaniac?

St.John's *Eve* on 23rd, and St.John's *Day* on 24th.
But "St.John" is an invention!

June 24th is principally Midsummer's Day.
And the festival is astronomical!
And it's virtually certain than any firey-festivities on that day are, originally, a celebration of the sun (at its seasonal peak).

The night of December 24th-December 25th is Midwinter's Night.
That festival too is astronomical!

Both astronomical festivals have been hijacked by insane people.

Midsummer's Day is today still noted on many calendars in England (where I'm from). But Midwinter's Night has been obliterated by the stamping foot of that abomination called Christianity. And it therefore does not appear on the calendars. (Perhaps "Jesus" beats "John", and "John" wasn't quite up to the job of entirely stamping out the healthy reality of a festival that was real, and truly for all! )

Interestingly, Midsummer and Midwinter today are marked three days behind the actual astronomical solstices, which happen today on the 21st or 22nd. This is interesting because it raises the question of whether the calendar has slipped, or whether that was intentional.

It have read that the re-lengthening of the days after the Winter Solstice was only noticable by the ancients three days after the middle of the Solstice. And hence the *festival* then, to celebrate the "beginning" of the re-lengthening of the days.

Also, a fire festival to celebrate the eve of the last day of maximum daylength and sun totally makes sense.

"Solstice" itself means "sun stands still", which indicates indeed that the ancients did notice a *period* of a few days in which the sun rose and set in the same place and the length of the day did not, as far as they could see, change. So that does add up!

I am very happy to have learned about the astronomical bases of our big festivals. Everyone can appreciate these festivals for what they truly are!

Aye, I realise 'St John's Eve' is a Christian takeover of Midsummer's eve, like Christmas is of Midwinter. But the Christmas tradition and story fit in with the symbolism of the Midwinter celebration. Likewise, Halloween and 'All Souls', is a good way to re-invent Samhain in a Christian context. (I can't remember the details but i'm sure the same holds true with Easter and Beltaine.) They are really good 'cover-stories', if you like.

I assume from that, that there is some sort of story about St. John that reflects what people get up to on St John's Eve. That's what I was asking.

Stonemaybe wrote:Aye, I realise 'St John's Eve' is a Christian takeover of Midsummer's eve, like Christmas is of Midwinter. But the Christmas tradition and story fit in with the symbolism of the Midwinter celebration. Likewise, Halloween and 'All Souls', is a good way to re-invent Samhain in a Christian context. (I can't remember the details but i'm sure the same holds true with Easter and Beltaine.) They are really good 'cover-stories', if you like.

I'm thinking Easter is related more to Ostera than Beltaine.

I can't help with the bonfire tradition though, unless it signifies martyrdom? Was St. John a martyr?