La nit de Sant JoanLa nit de Sant Joan (St. John's night) is a very important night in Catalonia. It is celebrated each year on the 23rd of June, during the summer solstice. The summer solstice is when the Sun is highest in the horizon of the whole year, and it's also the longest day of the year. La nit de Sant Joan is a night of campfires, firecrackers, fireworks and special food delicacies for the occasion. Today it has lost much of its charm and meaning, but not so many years ago, it was strongly associated with agriculture, forest elves and healing. Since this is the longest day of the year, plants receive more sunlight than usual, and this is a good moment to hope for good harvests. Traditionally, different kinds of medicinal plants would be harvested from the forest, since in this night they were supposed to have stronger healing properties.
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The Menu: This night is a night of eating "coca de recapte", "coca de Sant Joan" and "vi dolç". The "coca de recapte" is a delicious kind of square and thin pizza which can have many different toppings on it, but probably the most traditional is the "coca de butifarra", with stewed vegetables and countryside catalan sausage. But, ¡beware!, we invented it, and then it was copied by Italy (that's how the saying goes). The "coca de Sant Joan" is a sweet kind of pastry with different kinds of fruit, pinetree nuts and sugar among other ingredients. The "vi dolç" is a delicious Catalan sweet wine, also known as "moscatell", that you drink for dessert (normally with almonds, hazelnuts, raisins and dry figs), but also on special occasions like this one. It's very difficult to find abroad, remember that on your next trip to Catalonia!
Unfortunately, it is being replaced by cava and champagne. | |
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The Point: Since one of the main attractions of this celebration are firecrackers and fireworks, it's not difficult to imagine some kid's thoughts and excitement (and some adult's, ¿why not?) as year after year he/she prepares them to be fired and then sees them light the dark starry night. I think I was one of those kids. | |