Summer has arrived and the ‘Nit de Sant Joan’ looks set to be one of the most exciting ways to celebrate the change of season. A magical night to welcome summer where fire is the central theme and rituals, dances and dips in the sea will prepare you to face the second half of the year with positive vibes. Are you ready to embrace a new cycle with the right attitude? Here at the Nivia Born Boutique Hotel, we’ve got some great ideas on how you can give the warmest of welcome to the summer solstice.
Music, dancing and ‘correfoc’ fire running in Parc de la Mar
In Palma, the celebrations to mark the Eve of the Feast of Saint John (revetla), which are held on the night of 23rd June, get underway in a park known as Parc de la Mar, just 10 minutes’ walk from the Nivia Born Boutique Hotel. After the children’s correfoc fire-running (8.30 p.m.), the events continue with the lighting of the bonfire (fogueró) with the ‘tongue of flame’ (flama de la llengua), followed by traditional music and ball de bot dances, which this year include a performance by the Mallorcan group Al-Mayurqa.
At 10 o’clock, the festival proclamation is read, and minutes later, the city’s ‘demons’ (dimonis) “open the gates of hell” with a fire-running procession that is undoubtedly one of the highlights of evening and in which seven groups of demons take part (colles de dimonis) – Enfocats, Realment Cremats, Kinfumfa, Maleïts Encabritats, Trabucats, Es Cau des Boc Negre and Incubus – and three beasts of fire (bèsties de foc) (Drac i Guardians de Sant Jordi, Òliba de la Real and es Drac de na Coca). Finally, at 11.45 p.m., a pop and rock concert by O-Erra will bring the night’s celebrations in Parc de la Mar to an end.
The midnight spell
On the shortest night of the year, bonfires are a common sight in the streets, but even more so on the island’s beaches, where groups of friends, families and neighbours gather to carry out all kinds of rituals and ceremonies. Apart from the city of Palma where thousands of people flock to beaches such as Can Pere Antoni or Ciudad Jardín, other municipalities such as Calvià, Deià or Sant Joan also throw themselves wholeheartedly into the celebrations.
According to tradition, midnight is the time to take a moonlit swim in the sea, a ritual that is believed to have purifying powers. Another deeply rooted tradition to ensure health, money or love is to write your wishes on a piece of paper and burn it in the bonfire. The most daring also jump over the bonfire three times in an attempt to obtain good luck.
The sweetest sleep
Some claim that sleeping with three potatoes under your pillow or washing your face without looking in the mirror is another way of attracting good fortune. Here at the Nivia Born Boutique Hotel, although we can’t give you an answer to that, we can guarantee you the very best in rest and relaxation. And after all, isn’t it just as important to achieve that state of calm and wellbeing you long for? Book your room at the Nivia Born Boutique Hotel now and you’ll go home fully refreshed.
