Barcelona: Feast of Sant Joan
It turns out we are in Barcelona at the time of their biggest party of the year. Saint John the Baptist Day, following the all night party, is a public holiday in the autonomous community of Catalonia on June 24.
Traditions for the celebration include fire, water, herbs, and fire crackers. In just about every barrio there was dancing and celebrations in the plazas, street parties, music and entertainment. Firecracker shops and huts - called 'Punts de venda de petards' - appear all over Barcelona and Catalonia and are usually open 5 days before the Night of Sant Joan. This explains why we were hearing many small and big bangs on the days before Sant Joan.
That night, it was crazy!! Every man, woman, and child had firecrackers and there was nonstop cracks and bangs, both small and large, with bonfires burning in the middle of the streets. If we didn’t know we were in the middle of a huge citywide street party we would have sworn there were riots breaking out. Timing is everything, we got lucky to be here and be a part of the celebration.
